Coordinated with the Asia Programme at Chatham House, the project examines the economic and geopolitical role of Japan in the international arena, with a focus on its relations and areas of cooperation with the UK and EU.
It has involved five international conferences over a five year period, alternating between London and Tokyo, providing an opportunity for observers in the UK and Japan to assess their relationship. The relevance of the bilateral Japan-UK and relationship in the aftermath of the Brexit vote and the wider consequences for ties with Europe are also a core part of the research project.
The project explores whether the existing frameworks and institutions for regional and global governance are adequately suited to confronting the world's principal security, economic and environmental challenges and what role Japan, the UK and EU might play in maintaining, enhancing, or possibly extending such institutions. Outputs from the conferences have included a series of detailed research papers and a multi-authored final report to be published in the Spring of 2018.
The research also draws on Dr Nilsson-Wright's involvement in a series of Japan-UK initiatives, including joint collaborations with the Japan Economic Foundation, Daiwa Institute of Research, and the UK-Japan 21st Century Group of which Dr Nilsson-Wright is a director.