EJARN Conference 2026

Day 1 — Tuesday 9 June 2026

Morning - Overseas participants arrive in Cambridge; check-in at college / hotel

12:00 - Registration and sandwich lunch

Darwin College (Hall or Bradfield Court)
 

13:00–14:00 - KEYNOTE

"UK Relations with Japan and the Indopacific: Managing Insecurity"

John Nilsson-Wright, Cambridge University

Bradfield Court
 

14:30–16:00 - Session 1 – Japan’s Defence Transformation and Strategic Posture

Chair: Bart Gaens, Finnish Institute of International Affairs & Centre for Defence & Security · Discussant: Michal Kolmaš, Metropolitan University Prague · Bradfield Court

– The Japan Air Self-Defence Force (ASDF) and Defence Transformation: From Defensive Counter Air (DCA) to ‘Airpower’

Chris Hughes, University of Warwick

– Japan’s Grand Strategy: Anchoring in a Hierarchical Alliance

Paul O’Shea, Lund University

– Alliance-Embedded Agency: The Evolution of Japan’s Strategic Autonomy, 1952–2026

Beata Bochorodycz, Adam Mickiewicz University
 

16:00–16:30 - Coffee
 

16:30–18:00 - Session 2 – Europe, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific Security Order

Chair: Marie Söderberg, European Institute of Japanese Studies (EIJS), Stockholm School of Economics · Discussant: Paul O’Shea, Lund University · Bradfield Court

– European Naval Deployments to the Indo-Pacific – From Distant Bystander to Protagonist with a (Naval) Punch?

Axel Berkofsky, University of Pavia

– Japan and Europe in a Disorderly World: Japan Searching for a New Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) Order

Garren Mulloy, Daito Bunka University

– Japan’s Security Alignment Policy in the Post-Abe Era: Building Networks of Capability

Bart Gaens, Finnish Institute of International Affairs & Centre for Defence & Security, and Elena Atanassova-Cornelis, Catholic University of Lille
 

18:30 - Drinks reception

19:00 - Conference dinner, Richard King Room

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Day 2 — Wednesday 10 June 2026
 

09:00–10:30 - Session 3 – Economic Security, Strategic Autonomy, and Industrial Policy

Chair: John Nilsson-Wright, Cambridge University · Discussant: Takahiro Kamisuna, International Institute for Strategic Studies · The Old Library

– Geopolitical Tensions and The Shift to Renewable Energy: Why Japan is Falling Behind While Europe is Forging Ahead

Paul Midford, Meiji Gakuin University

– Revitalising Japan’s Semi-Conductor Industry for Economic Security

Åsa Malmström Rognes, European Institute of Japanese Studies, Stockholm School of Economics

– The Dynamics of EU-Japan Relations in the Indo-Pacific [EJARN Book]

Michal Kolmaš, Metropolitan University Prague
 

10:30–11:00 - Coffee
 

11:00–12:30 - Session 4 – Technology, AI, and Strategic Connectivity

Chair: Patrik Ström, EIJS, Stockholm School of Economics · Discussant: Markus Heckel, EIJS, Stockholm School of Economics · The Old Library

– Space as hidden but strategic connectivity layer in EU-Japan relations

Eva Liias, European Institute of Japanese Studies, Stockholm School of Economics

– The role of Japan and Europe in protecting the liberal world order from the negative effects of AI deployment

Wilhelm Vosse, International Christian University and King’s College

– EU-Okinawa Paradiplomacy: Decentering regional engagement initiatives

Ra Mason, University of East Anglia Norwich

12:30–13:45 - Lunch

13:45–14:30 - KEYNOTE

Marta Szilagyi, EU External Action Service (EEAS)

The Old Library

14:30–15:00 - Coffee

15:00–16:00 - Session 5 – Sustainability, Energy, and Corporate Governance

Chair: Giulia Garbagni, Fitzwilliam College · Discussant: Paul Midford, Meiji Gakuin University · The Old Library

– Sustainability and Sustainable Consumption: Perspectives from (Germany) and Japan

Markus Heckel, European Institute of Japanese Studies, Stockholm School of Economics

– Japan’s Digital Preparedness for Society 5.0 – A European Perspective

Richard Nakamura, University of Gothenburg; Patrik Ström, European Institute of Japanese Studies, Stockholm School of Economics; and Peter Popovics, Copenhagen Business School

16:00–16:30 - Concluding Session and Next-Steps Discussion

16:30–16:45 - Short break

16:45–17:30 - EJARN Members’ Meeting

Evening - Optional networking dinner at a local restaurant or pub (self-funded)

The workshop organisers are grateful for the generous financial support from the Japan and the World programme at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge, and the Toshiba International Foundation.

European Japan Advanced Research Network (EJARN) · Cambridge, June 2026

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Download the conference programme via the link below