Hosted by the US Embassy Tokyo and co-organized by Pacific Forum
Free event open to the public

April 16, 2019  | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM (15:00 – 16:30)
Doors open at 2:15 PM (14:15)

US Embassy Auditorium
1-10-5 Akasaka

Simultaneous interpretation (Japanese/English) will be provided. 

In November 2018, the United States and Japan reaffirmed their shared goal of bolstering a free and open Indo-Pacific and pledged to promote energy, infrastructure, and digital connectivity in the region. While some have viewed the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) as a primarily security-oriented concept (invoking a more muscular posture against China), others see it as a development-focused initiative. Our discussion will examine US, Japanese and regional perspectives on FOIP by exploring Indo-Pacific region finance and investment; physical infrastructure; energy security infrastructure; and digital connectivity/infrastructure. Our expert panel will also explore opportunities for cooperation and challenges in advancing US and Japanese “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” goals.

Panelists:

Dr. Du HUYNH is a senior lecturer at the Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management, Vietnam. His teaching and research interests are urban economics, infrastructure development, and finance and banking. He worked at the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam from 1996-2005. He frequently participates in policy dialogues in Vietnam. His research papers have appeared in prestigious international journals. Dr. Du studied in civil engineering, business management, applied economics and public policy, economic development, and public administration at the bachelor and master levels. He received a Master in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 2010 and a Doctor of Design Degree (DDes) from Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2013. His doctoral dissertation title is “The Transformation in Ho Chi Minh City: Issues in Managing Growth.”

Ms. Jane NAKANO is a senior fellow in the Energy and National Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Her areas of expertise include U.S. energy policy, global market and policy developments concerning natural gas, nuclear energy and coal, and energy security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. She frequently writes and speaks on these issues at domestic and international conferences and to media around the world. She has also testified before Congress on U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports and before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on U.S.-China nuclear energy cooperation. Prior to joining CSIS in 2010, Nakano worked in the Office of Policy and International Affairs in the U.S. Department of Energy, where she covered a host of energy, economic, and political issues in Asia. From 2001 to 2002, she served at the U.S. embassy in Tokyo as special assistant to the energy attaché. Nakano graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and holds a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Mr. Akira IGATA is currently a Visiting Professor at the Center for Rule-making Strategies, Tama University. He is also an Adjunct Fellow at Pacific Forum. He received his undergraduate training at Georgetown University (one-year exchange program, Heiwa Nakajima Foundation scholar) and International Christian University (Chris-Wada scholar). He subsequently received his MA in political science from Columbia University (Japanese government fellowship scholar). He was awarded the Aoi Global Research Award to study at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Cambridge University in 2016. He was a recipient of the security studies fellowship from the Research Institute for Peace and Security (2010-2012) and has been involved in several projects by the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation. He notably contributed, as a researcher, to The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Disaster: Investigating the Myth and Reality (Routledge, 2014) and co-authored a chapter with Michael J. Green entitled, “The Gulf War and Japan’s National Security Identity” in Barak Kushner Eds. Examining Japan’s Lost Decades (Routledge, 2015).

His research expertise includes: Japanese security and foreign policies; Japan-U.S. alliance; and International Politics in East Asia.

Moderator:

Mr. Brad GLOSSERMAN is a Deputy Director of and Visiting Professor at the Center for Rule-making Strategies, Tama University. He is also a Senior Adviser at Pacific Forum, where he served for 13 years (2004-2017) as executive director.

Brad is the author of Peak Japan: The End of Grand Ambitions (Georgetown University Press, 2019) and co-author (with Scott Snyder) of The Japan-South Korea Identity Clash (Columbia University Press, 2015). He is the editor, with Tae-hyo Kim, of The Future of U.S.-Korea-Japan Relations: Balancing Values and Interests (CSIS, 2004). He is also the English-language editor of the journal of the New Asia Research Institute (NARI) in Seoul. A frequent participant in US State Department visiting lecture programs and the US Navy’s Regional Security Education Program, he speaks at conferences, research institutes and universities around the world. His commentary regularly appears in media around the globe. He has written dozens of monographs and articles on US foreign policy and Asian security relations and he has contributed numerous chapters to books on regional security.

He was for 10 years a member of the editorial board of The Japan Times and continues to serve as a contributing editor.

He is an adjunct lecturer at the Management Center of Innsbruck (MCI) and a guest lecturer at the Osaka University School of International Public Policy (OSIPP). He has a JD from the George Washington University National Law Center, an MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a BA from Reed College.

Event Website (Japanese): https://americancenterjapan.com/event/201904166297/

Please allow extra time to pass through US Embassy security. Bags larger than 10″ x 10″ (25 cm x 25 cm) and electronics other than a personal cellphone are not allowed.