NEWS
2025.02.20
【Report】AJI Global Symposium 2025 on conflicts in the Middle East and international politics and increasing immigration and challenges for a tolerant society was held!
On January 25, 2025 (Sat.), the Asia-Japan Research Institute (AJI) held the AJI Global Symposium 2025, “Challenges for Pioneering Peacebuilding and Our Future Directions: Visions of the Ritsumeikan Model of Asia-Japan Research,” cohosted by the Ritsumeikan Advanced Research Academy (RARA) and the Ritsumeikan Academic Center. This was the second year since the “AJI Annual International Symposium,” which had been held until 2023, was renamed the AJI Global Symposium in February 2024. The Global Symposium this year was highly successful, with over 150 participants. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all those who participated.
The poster of the AJI Global Symposium 2025
Ritsumeikan University is currently broadcasting a recorded video of the symposium. You can watch it until March 13, 2025. You need to register to watch it at the following link (https://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/open-univ/course/detail/?id=354).
This year, Professor Kota SUECHIKA (College of International Relations, Ritsumeikan University/RARA Fellow) was invited as the keynote speaker, and he gave a lecture entitled “The Day Wars in the Middle East, West Asia, and the World End: Three Perspectives for Peace.” He delivered an important talk on the recent Israel/Gaza war and the conflicts in neighboring countries (Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon), as well as the current oppositional structure of international political camps, where Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Syria, the United States, and Russia are deeply involved. Prof. Suechika provided a clear overview of the situation, including its political, religious, and historical context.
Prof. Suechika noted that the number of children caught in conflict reached 473 million in 2024, based on statistics from UNICEF. This marks the worst year ever in terms of humanitarian impact. The conflict situation in the Middle East is at the heart of this humanitarian crisis. Additionally, we must recognize that conflicts in the Middle East are not only emerging at the regional level, but are also influenced by a deepening rift in international politics involving the United States, Russia, and China. Prof. Suechika has clearly articulated that the Palestinian issue cannot be resolved solely through confrontation with Israel, as it is shaped by the complex dynamics of both regional and global structures.
Professor Kota Suechika delivering his keynote speech
He also focused on the impact of Donald Trump’s return as president of the United States within the context of global conflict. He pointed out the danger that Palestine and Ukraine will increasingly be at the mercy of the major powers’ politics, while the rule of international law and norms continues to weaken. The global structure of opposition becomes increasingly pronounced. In the latter part of the keynote speech, he addressed potential paths to alleviate the current international political situation. Prof. Suechika emphasized not only the importance of mitigating conflict through deterrence and the rule of law, but also the need to consider the essential nature of conflict. To anticipate the future situation in the Middle East and international politics, it would be important to emphasize the significance of pursuing military balance and observing international legal norms. However, avoiding framing the world in a hasty dichotomy is also crucial. Prof. Suechika concluded his speech by presenting an intriguing perspective that relationships between states and international camps are not merely choices; instead, a third way always exists, where actions and intelligence work together to pursue a peaceful approach while maintaining the complexity of these important relationships.
Following the keynote speech, we had a panel discussion entitled “The Challenges of Creating a Tolerant Society amidst Rapidly Growing Immigration in Asia,” in which we had a very engaging research report and discussion about the rising number of immigrants in Asian countries and the related political, economic, and social conditions.
Professor Kenki ADACHI (College of International Relations) chaired this panel. Professor Go MURAKAMI Faculty of Law), Associate Professor Toshiko TSUJIMOTO (College of International Relations), and Professor Jun HONNA (College of International Relations) made presentations. Each of them made highly informative and interesting presentations on the current status and challenges of the political and legal systems in Japan, Korea, and Indonesia regarding immigration.
Professor Kenki Adachi providing the background of the issue at the beginning of the panel
At the beginning of the panel, Prof. Adachi provided an overview of the panel's background. He discussed the rapid increase in cross-border migration resulting from globalization, alongside the worsening issues of chauvinism and populist politics in host countries. He also highlighted the significance of viewing Asian countries experiencing rapid population movements as model cases to tackle the political and social challenges arising from these movements and explore diverse perspectives for fostering tolerant societies.
The titles of the presentations presented in the panel are as follows.
・Go Murakami (Professor, College of Law): “Japanese Attitudes and Politics toward Immigrants from Asian Countries”
・Toshiko TSUJIMOTO (Associate Professor, College of International Relations): “Confrontation between Rights of Foreigners and Nationals in South Korea's Acceptance of Migrant Workers” (*The title has been changed from the original one shown on the poster.）
・Jun HONNA (Professor, College of International Relations): “The Use of Immigrants in Indonesia for Political Purposes”
・Go Murakami (Professor, College of Law): “Japanese Attitudes and Politics toward Immigrants from Asian Countries”
Prof. Murakami researches voting behavior and the psychology related to elections in Japan. In this presentation, he discussed the impact of immigrants' images on election and voting behavior in Japan. Prof. Murakami emphasized how major political parties in Japan have not made immigration a central political issue. It is noted that the ratio of foreign workers to the population in Japan is relatively low from a global perspective. One reason is that the government has generally been reluctant to accept and settle foreign workers.
Against this backdrop, Prof. Murakami examined in detail how major political parties have mentioned immigration. Consequently, he emphasized that major political parties are often hesitant to treat immigration as a political issue. Nonetheless, this raises the problem of understanding the collective perception of immigrants in Japan. In response to this issue, Prof. Murakami quantitatively and qualitatively investigated how immigration is mentioned in government documents and various Japanese media. He also introduced current research that suggests that the image of people in the host country toward immigrants is influenced by the immigrants’ country of origin. Through these studies, Prof. Murakami’s presentation revealed the loosely shared image and attitude toward migrant workers in Japanese society, despite the public reluctance to accept them.
Professor Go Murakami delivering his presentation
・Toshiko TSUJIMOTO (Associate Professor, College of International Relations): “Confrontation between Rights of Foreigners and Nationals in South Korea's Acceptance of Migrant Workers”
In this report, Associate Professor Tsujimoto discussed the main issue in Korea regarding foreign migration policy. For about 20 years, immigration policy in Korea has relied on the Employment Permit System. This system allows for the employment of foreign workers when there's a shortage of labor in domestic companies. Consequently, it outlines the employment of foreign workers while also protecting their rights. However, the system primarily operates to safeguard the rights of domestic workers, effectively limiting immigrant workers' ability to change jobs. This contradiction has emerged as a significant concern in recent years.
In her presentation, she provided a breakdown of the original countries of foreign workers migrating to Korea, along with statistics on types of employment in recent years. She also discussed how the Employment Permit System has been reformed to protect their rights. To address the issue of restricted rights under this system, progress has been made to allow individuals to leave their jobs for legitimate reasons, such as delayed payments, working below minimum wage, harassment, and illegal housing conditions. However, barriers still exist, including the requirement for employer consent when investigating the legitimacy of a workplace transition. In conclusion, she emphasized that the current situation stems from the realignment of the system between the Korean government’s goal to uphold international norms for protecting workers’ rights and its interest in accepting foreign workers to boost its international competitiveness.
Associate Professor Toshiko Tsujimoto making a presentation
・Jun HONNA (Professor, College of International Relations): “The Use of Immigrants in Indonesia for Political Purposes”
Professor Honna gave a presentation on the political landscape of immigration in Indonesia. He explained that in recent years, due to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese investments and economic projects have increasingly penetrated Indonesia, bringing many Chinese migrant workers into the country. Additionally, local anti-immigrant sentiment has risen due to escalating tensions with these immigrants in various communities. In this context, demonstrations against the acceptance of foreign workers have become more active. Furthermore, these anti-immigrant feelings are now reaching the central government level.
He introduced the current situation in which various political parties, including the Front Pembela Islam (FPI), Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), and others, are gaining political support by promoting anti-immigration measures. It was also noted that President Prabowo Subianto, who took office in 2024, campaigned in the 2019 presidential election by appealing to anti-Chinese sentiment and running a negative campaign against then-President Jokowi, which gained attention and support from the right wing in Indonesia. Indonesia has adopted a political system where the president is elected through a direct vote by the people. Professor Honna emphasized that the use of anti-immigration as a political tool, intertwined with this political system, is now expanding, and Indonesia is facing the challenge of declining democracy.
Professor Jun Hoanna delivering his presentation
Each presentation emphasized the various barriers and challenges to the rights of migrant workers and their coexistence with the local population. During the general discussion, the primary focus was on how to systematically and ethically raise awareness of the rights of foreign workers in host countries. Panel participants shared perspectives on creating a tolerant society, which included coordinating the protection of rights among countries, fact-checking by domestic civil society actors, more active communication with migrants, and the necessity of reorganizing national electoral systems.
You can access previous reports of the AJI Global Symposium (International Annual Symposium) from the following link：https://en.ritsumei.ac.jp/research/aji/global/archive/