Asia Pacific Initiative (API) published “The 10-year Investigation Commission on the Fukushima Nuclear Accident: Final Report” (Japanese) on February 19, 2021. Why did we produce this report? Following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in 2011, Rebuild Japan Initiative (later Asia Pacific Initiative) set up the Independent Investigation Commission on the Fukushima Nuclear Accident to investigate …

The 10-Year Investigation Commission on the Fukushima Nuclear Accident publishes final report on lessons learned since the disaster Read More »

On January 24th, 2021, UMADA Takaaki, Chair of API’s Social Implementation of Technology project, published Mirai wo Jisso Suru [Implementing the Future] with Eiji Press in Japanese. This book provides the result of studies and interviews collected by API’s working group on Japan’s “social implementation” – or the diffusion of technology – conducted from April …

UMADA Takaaki published Implementing the Future Read More »

Asia Pacific Initiative (API) is pleased to announce that Dr. SUZUKI Kazuto, Professor of Science and Technology Policy at the Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Tokyo, joined our institution on January 1, 2021, as Senior Consulting Fellow. < Profile of Prof. SUZUKI Kazuto> SUZUKI Kazuto is Professor of Science and Technology …

Prof. SUZUKI Kazuto joins API as Senior Consulting Fellow Read More »

Asia Pacific Initiative (API) is pleased to announce that Dr. JIMBO Ken, Professor at the Faculty of Policy Management at Keio University, joined our institution on January 1, 2021, as MSF Executive Director1/. 1/ MSF：Japan – U.S. Military Statesmen Forum < Profile of Prof. JIMBO Ken> JIMBO Ken is Professor at the Faculty of Policy …

Prof. JIMBO Ken joins API as MSF Executive Director Read More »

The French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) organized a video conference entitled “Rethinking Economic Security in the (Post) COVID-19 World” on December 8, 2020. API Senior Consulting Fellow OYA Shin participated in this seminar as a panelist. The panel was moderated by Dr. Françoise Nicolas (Director, Center for Asian Studies, IFRI) and OYA Shin was …

API Senior Consulting Fellow OYA Shin featured in IFRI video conference on “Rethinking Economic Security in the (Post) COVID-19 World” Read More »

Asia Pacific Initiative (API) held the Asia Pacific Initiative Forum (APIF) 2020 as a virtual event broadcasting from Yokohama on December 4-5th, 2020. APIF is an invite-only forum which aims to look forward 30 years into the future of Asia and create a new innovative ecosystem together with business leaders mainly from Japan, India, and …

Asia Pacific Initiative Forum 2020 Virtual Event Read More »

On November 11, Dr. FUNABASHI Yoichi, Chairman of Asia Pacific Initiative, was featured in a panel on “Panel III: East Asia and the Post-COVID World” as part of the Johns Hopkins University SAIS Reischauer Center’s virtual conference with the T-20 Global Think Tank Summit. This conference on “COVID-19, East Asia, and the Global Response” considered …

Chairman Funabashi featured in Johns Hopkins & T-20 virtual conference on “East Asia and the Post-COVID World” Read More »

The Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a US think tank, organized a virtual event entitled “Virtual Report Launch: Common Code: An Alliance Framework for Democratic Technology Policy” on October 21, 2020. API Senior Consulting Fellow OYA Shin participated in this seminar as a panelist. This Technology Alliance project is a joint collaboration between …

API Senior Consulting Fellow OYA featured in Technology Alliance Project webinar Read More »

Asia Pacific Initiative (API), in partnership with the Brookings Institution in Washington, held an online event on Wednesday, October 14, 2020, titled “Liberal order undone? Japan’s leadership role after Prime Minister Abe” Dr FUNABASHI Yoichi (Chairman, Asia Pacific Initiative) and Professor HOSOYA Yuichi (Research Director, Asia Pacific Initiative/Professor, Keio University) joined the panel discussion alongside …

API and Brookings Institution co-hosted webinar “Liberal order undone? Japan’s leadership role after Prime Minister Abe” Read More »

Asia Pacific Initiative (API) is pleased to announce that Dr. MURAI Jun, Dean of the API Institute of Geoeconomic Studies and Senior Fellow at API, was appointed Special Advisor to the Cabinet on Digital Policy. In addition to his new duties, Dr. MURAI will continue to work at API to analyze and disseminate geoeconomic risks …

Dean MURAI Jun appointed Special Advisor to the Cabinet Read More »

On September 23, 2020, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) hosted a virtual event about strengthening global supply chains. From API, Mr. OYA Shin, Senior Consulting Fellow, participated in this event as a panelist. Alongside Ms. Nazak Nikakhtar (US Department of Commerce, Assistant Secretary for Industry and Analysis), John Murphy (US Chamber of …

API Senior Consulting Fellow OYA discussed how to strengthen the global supply chains in the post-corona period Read More »

Asia Pacific Initiative (API) is pleased to announce that Dr. HOSOYA Yuichi, Professor of International Politics at Keio University and API’s Senior Consulting Fellow, has been appointed API’s Managing Director and Research Director. Prof. HOSOYA will play a central role in API’s research activities and will also be part of the management team.   Profile …

Prof. HOSOYA Yuichi appointed Managing Director and Research Director Read More »

Asia Pacific Initiative (API) organized a symposium called “Zooming PEP 2020 – Policy Entrepreneurs’ Platform: opening the door” in Tokyo on 15th July 2020. It was held to commemorate the launch of API’s new initiative: The Policy Entrepreneur’s Platform (PEP). The day began by a core panel discussing the concept of policy entrepreneurship and then …

Inaugural Symposium of Policy Entrepreneur’s Platform (PEP) Read More »

Asia Pacific Initiative (API) is pleased to announce the establishment of the “API Institute of Geoeconomic Studies” on April 1, 2020, with Prof MURAI Jun, Distinguished Professor of KEIO University, joining API as Dean of the new institute and API Senior Fellow.   <API Institute of Geoeconomic Studies> In recent years, globalization has suffered major …

API establishes “API Institute of Geoeconomic Studies”; Prof MURAI Jun joins API as Dean of the API Institute of Geoeconomic Studies and API Senior Fellow Read More »

Asia Pacific Initiative (API) is pleased to announce that Dr. HOSOYA Yuichi, professor of international politics at Keio University, joined our institution on April 1, 2020, as Senior Consulting Fellow. Prof. Hosoya will engage in research and other activities at API in support of our core missions.   <Profile of Prof. HOSOYA Yuichi> HOSOYA Yuichi …

Prof. HOSOYA Yuichi joins API as Senior Consulting Fellow Read More »

On February 20th, 2020, Asia Pacific Initiative chairman FUNABASHI Yoichi published What Is Geoeconomics? (Bunshun Shinsho). The book defines geoeconomics as the use of economics by states for geopolitical purposes, and identifies four types of “mega-geoeconomics” that represent long-term, structural geoeconomic challenges that exist in an age of geoeconomics which began with the US-China trade …

Chairman Funabashi publishes What Is Geoeconomics? Read More »

Asia Pacific Initiative (API) is pleased to announce that Yuka Koshino has been selected as API’s Matsumoto-Samata Fellow1/, and has been sent to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in the UK as a Research Fellow2/. 1/ The Matsumoto-Samata Fellowship is an API program aiming to send young researchers to foreign think tanks to …

Yuka Koshino selected as API’s Matsumoto-Samata Fellow and dispatched to UK’s IISS Read More »

Asia Pacific Initiative (API) is pleased to announce that Satoshi Nakagawa joined API on January 1, 2020, as its new Executive Director.   <Profile of Satoshi Nakagawa> Before assuming his position at API in January 2020, Nakagawa was Chairman of the Association of Credit Rating Agencies in Asia (ACRAA). Over the course of his career, …

Satoshi Nakagawa joins API as Executive Director Read More »

Asia Pacific Initiative (API) is pleased to announce that Dr Makio Miyagawa, the former Ambassador of Japan to Malaysia, joined our institution on January 1, 2020, as APIF President and API Senior Fellow. APIF stands for “Asia Pacific Initiative Forum” (See below for details).   <Profile of Dr Makio Miyagawa> Dr Miyagawa held successive positions …

Dr Makio Miyagawa joins API as APIF President and API Senior Fellow Read More »

AP Initiative Chairman Yoichi Funabashi delivered the 2019 Alastair Buchan Lecture at the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Annual Dinner on November 13, 2019. Dr. Funabashi’s speech, titled “We are all small countries now,” examined issues currently facing Japan on the global stage. Dr. Funabashi argued that the United States under President Donald Trump has …

AP Initiative Chairman delivers 2019 Alastair Buchan Lecture at IISS Annual Dinner Read More »

On September 9 2019, Asia Pacific Initiative held a symposium co-hosted with the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Public Policy (GrasPP). The symposium titled “Society Driven Public Policy : The Policy Community and Public Careers in search of Japan’s Alternative Solutions” featured discussions surrounding “policy-entrepreneurship in Japan.” The symposium welcomed leading politician Shinjiro KOIZUMI …

API-University of Tokyo joint Symposium on Policy –Entrepreneurship in Japan Read More »

AP Initiative Chairman Yoichi Funabashi contributed an op-ed for The Financial Times titled “Japan-South Korea tensions challenge postwar order,” first published online on August 29, 2019. In the piece, Dr. Funabashi discusses the recent tensions between Japan and South Korea. While arguing that Japan must treat South Korea as a partner and commit to transparently …

AP Initiative Chairman contributes op-ed for FT on Japan-South Korea relations Read More »

AP Initiative will publish The front-line of Operation Tomodachi ── Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Japan-U.S. Cooperation in August, 2019. The book, written by AP Initiative Senior Fellow Koichi Isobe, will be published from Sairyu-sya in Japanese. The author, describes how Japan and U.S. worked hands in hands to deals with …

The front-line of Operation Tomodachi will be published soon Read More »

Tourism in Japan is growing faster than anywhere else in the world. The number of international visitors to Japan has more than tripled since the start of the decade, hitting 31 million last year. And the numbers are expected to continue rising as the country hosts two of the world’s largest events – the 2019 …

Reinventing Japan Event – Sustainable Tourism in Japan: Beyond Numbers Read More »

Asia Pacific Initiative (API) hosted a round-table titled “Fueling Global Growth: Trade, Investment and Financial Cooperation in Asia” at Hotel Okura Tokyo on May 27th, 2019. The event, organized in collaboration with the research institute of the Boao Forum for Asia and Caixin Media, China’s most influential financial media group, was mediated by China-based API …

API round-table welcomed former PBOC Governor Dr. Zhou Xiaochuan as keynote speaker Read More »

AP Initiative published “What is a Think Tank? : An Era of Policy Entrepreneurship” on March 25, 2019. This book, written by AP Initiative Chairman Yoichi Funabashi in Japanese, describes the history and changing dynamics of think tanks, with a particular focus on U.S. think tanks. Based on interviews to distinguished global think tankers and …

“What is a Think Tank? : An Era of Policy Entrepreneurship” was published by Chuokoron-shinsha Read More »

Asia Pacific Initiative has produced a shortened Japanese version of “The Article II Mandate: Forging a Stronger Economic Alliance between the United States and Japan.” The original English report was jointly written with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank. The report recommends that the United States and Japan strengthen …

Japanese Report on U.S.-Japan Economic Cooperation Read More »

On Feburary 11, 2019, the Brookings Institution held an event titled “Japan’s role in Asia’s connectivity: Infrastructure finance and digital governance” in Washington, D.C. After a keynote address on Japan’s goals and policies to advance Asian connectivity by Kohei Toyoda, director for international coordination for the Trade Policy Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Economy, …

Senior Consulting Fellow Oya participated in a Brookings Institution event on Asia’s connectivity Read More »

On January 16, 2019, Korean newspaper media group Maekyung interviewed AP Initiative Chairman Yoichi Funabashi about the international situation in East Asia. In his remarks, Dr. Funabashi argued that South Korea’s foreign policy is overly focused on North Korea, in which he pointed out the difficulty in solving North Korea related problems with only a …

Interview with Chairman Funabashi published in Korean newspaper Read More »

The Asia Pacific Initiative is delighted to announce a new partnership with Tokyo Review, a budding and exciting non-profit publishing platform for academics, journalists, researchers and beyond to write in-depth and evidence-based articles on issues related to Japan. We will work closely with the Tokyo Review team by offering operational support to promote shared values …

Announcing a New Partnership with Tokyo Review Read More »

On December 3, 2018, the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) held an event on strengthening U.S.-Japan economic cooperation in Washington, D.C. Asia Pacific Initiative and CSIS have been involved in a joint research project on this theme, and recently launched the resulting report, The Article II Mandate: Forging a Stronger Economic Alliance between …

Senior Consulting Fellow Oya participated in a CSIS event on Strengthening U.S.-Japan Economic Cooperation Read More »

On November 29, 2018, Asia Pacific Initiative held a launch event for their report, The Article II Mandate: Forging a Stronger Economic Alliance between the United States and Japan, which was jointly written with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank. Over 70 policymakers, business executives, military personnel and diplomats …

Asia Pacific Initiative Launch a New Report on U.S.-Japan Economic Cooperation Read More »

AP Initiative’s Japan’s Population Implosion: The 50 Million Shock (Palgrave Macmillan, December 30, 2017) was highly appraised in a book review by Tokyo Review. Tokyo Review is a collaborative website for young academics, journalists, and researchers working on issues related to Japanese politics, economics and, society. Jonathan Webb, the author of this book review, is …

AP Initiative’s book, Japan’s Population Implosion: The 50 Million Shock, was highly appraised in a book review by Tokyo Review Read More »

AP Initiative Chairman Yoichi Funabashi gave a lecture on the theme of “Geopolitics, Populism, and the Media” at an event hosted by the Japan Press Research Institute on March 30, 2018. In his lecture, Dr. Funabashi began by discussing the foundations of the post-World War II international system, professing his deep fear that the world …

Chairman Funabashi’s Speech on “Geopolitics, Populism, and the Media” Read More »

Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA held a tabletop exercise (TTX) On February 14-16, 2018, in Tokyo, with experienced Japanese, South Korean, and American military, security, intelligence, and diplomatic officials to explore trilateral responses to credible North Korean provocations. AP Initiative Senior Research Fellow Yoichi Kato joined it, and wrote final report with Admiral Michael McDevitt. * …

Senior Research Fellow Kato joined a tabletop exercise (TTX) to credible North Korean provocations Read More »

Chairman Yoichi Funabashi’s essay “The North Korea Problem: Let’s Aim for Peace even if it is ‘Dirty Peace’” was the lead article for the June special edition of the monthly magazine Ushio. In this essay, Chairman Yoichi Funabashi claimed that ① North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made the decision on the North Korea-United States summit …

AP Initiative Chairman Funabashi’s “The North Korea Problem” appeared in the June edition of Ushio. Read More »

The Chinese version of “Managing the Dollar” written by Yoichi Funabashi was published by CITIC Press in China. “Managing the Dollar” was published by Asahi Shimbun in 1988, when Chairman Funabashi was a journalist at the Asahi Shimbun. The book revealed the behind-the-scenes international currency diplomacy from the Plaza Accord, agreed upon by the G5 …

The Chinese version of AP Initiative Chairman Funabashi’s book, “Managing the Dollar,” was published in China Read More »

“Reinventing Japan: New Directions in Global Leadership,”published by Praeger on March 31, 2018. This is the English companion volume to “Galapagos Cool,” which was published in Japanese by Toyo Keizai, Inc. in 2017. Both books were the product of an almost two-year project, entitled “Why Japan Matters,” which looked at how Japan could contribute more to …

“Reinventing Japan: New Directions in Global Leadership,” the English version of “Galapagos Cool,” was published by Praeger Read More »

AP Initiative Senior Research Fellow Yoichi Kato appeared as a panelist at “U.S.-Japan-Russia Trilateral Conference,” held by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP), an American think tank, in New York on March 14-15, 2018. He participated in the public event “Cooperation or Competition in Northeast Asia? : Perspective from the U.S., Japan, and …

AP Initiative Senior Research Fellow Kato appeared as a panelist at a conference of NCAFP in NY Read More »

AP Initiative Chairman Yoichi Funabashi spoke at a panel of the 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos, “Nuclear Threats to International Security,” as a panelist. He discussed with the other speakers the increasing number of nuclear states and the threat of “first use” of nuclear weapons, which are dual global risks on the rise, and …

AP Initiative Chairman spoke at a session of the World Economic Forum 2018 Read More »