The Institute for Far Eastern Studies (Director Kwan-Sei Lee) hosted a roundtable with scholars from Japan’s Keio University Institute of East Asian Studies, the Center for Contemporary Korean Studies, and other Japanese experts in international politics at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 10, in the Conference Room on the first floor of Peace Hall.

Participants included Junya Nishino, Director of the Center for Contemporary Korean Studies at Keio University; Sangha Lee, Researcher at the same center; Ayako Takemi, Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo; Aya Miyazaki, Project Associate Professor; Suguru Osawa, Associate Professor at Aichi Gakuin University; Amane Yamazaki, Associate Professor at Toyo University; Kyoko Kuwahara, Research Fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs; Tomohiro Kato, Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge; Merisa Harada, Researcher at Waseda University; and Jin-Goo Cho, Director of Japan Research Center at IFES.

During the meeting, Jin-Gu Cho delivered a briefing on recent developments in Korea–Japan relations and trilateral security cooperation among Korea, the United States, and Japan, followed by an in-depth discussion. He emphasized the importance of cooperative Korea–Japan relations and trilateral security cooperation in light of recent international developments and the evolving security environment surrounding the Korean Peninsula. With regard to historical perceptions which have often been described as a thorn in bilateral relations, he noted the need for more forward-looking efforts on the Japanese side. The discussion further covered a wide range of issues, including the national security strategy of the second Trump administration, U.S.–China relations, the recent deterioration in China–Japan relations, U.S.–Japan relations, and the Taiwan Strait issue.