Abstract

A range of actors threaten the rule of law at sea in in the Indo-Pacific Region.  By doing so they undermine political stability, endanger use of international waters as to support commerce, and interfere with coastal states legitimate governance activities.  The results directly threaten the economic prosperity and future security of the region. The expert panellists will discuss these dynamic from the perspectives of international law, domestic legislation, balance of power, and the contributions to rule of law being made by the United States, Japan and Southeast Asian States.  The will be available to take questions from the audience.

About the Speakers

John Frederick Bradford is Senior Fellow in the Maritime Security Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. Mr Bradford holds a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from RSIS and Bachelor of Arts (Magna Cum Laude in Asian Studies) from Cornell University. He retired from the U.S. Navy with the rank of Commander. His U.S. Navy assignments included service as the Deputy Director of the 7th Fleet Maritime Headquarters, as Country Director for Japan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense-Policy, and as Commanding Officer of a ballistic missile defense-capable Aegis destroyer forward deployed to Japan. His research interests focus on Indo-Pacific maritime issues and security cooperation. His work can be found in publications such as Contemporary Southeast Asia, Asia Policy, Asian Security, Asian Survey, Naval War College Review, and Naval Institute Proceedings.   He has also written book chapters, online articles, and monographs published by leading international think tanks.

Makoto Seta is an Associate Professor of International Law at Yokohama City University, Japan. He holds Ph.D. in Law, Waseda University (Japan); LL.M. London School of Economics and Political Science (UK); LL.B. Waseda University (Japan). He worked as a Research Associate at the Institute of Comparative Law at Waseda University from April 2013 to March 2015. In 2013, his article “Regulation for Private Maritime Security Companies and Its Challenges” received an award by the Yamagata Maritime Institute. His primary interest is the law of the sea, especially ocean governance, universal jurisdiction over maritime crimes, and private standards under the law of the sea. His publications include the monograph International Law for Ocean Governance (Sanseido, 2015).

Benjamin A. San Jose is an Assistant Professor of Japanese studies and political science at the Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines. San Jose received his Ph.D. in international public policy from the University of Tsukuba, where his dissertation explored the role of nationalist discourses in shaping and promoting Philippine labor migration policies. His current research focuses on the use of migration management in the labor migration policy process of the Philippines and Japan.

He also teaches courses on International Relations, Philippine-Japan relations, Public Policy and is pursuing research on Japan’s changing public diplomacy in the Asian region