The S. T. Lee Distinguished Annual Lecture by Mr Hitoshi Tanaka, Chairman, Institute for International Strategy, Japan Research Institute, Ltd; Senior Fellow, Japan Center for International Exchange; and Former Deputy Foreign Minister, Japan

About the Lecture

This lecture considers how to manage geopolitical instability in East Asia during these turbulent times as the balance of regional power is shifting, anti-globalization sentiment is surging, and the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States has thrown uncertainty on regional cooperation. Such uncertainty adds further hurdles to solving critical regional challenges including ensuring free and open trade; financial cooperation for the coordination of infrastructure investment; environment, energy, and sustainability issues; and overcoming legacies of distrust and building confidence among regional powers. Given this geopolitical instability afflicting the region “multilayered functional cooperation” is suggested as a tailor-made means for East Asia to address its tough economic and security challenges.

About the Speaker

Hitoshi Tanaka is the chairman of the Institute for International Strategy at the Japan Research Institute, Ltd. He has also been a senior fellow at the Japan Center for International Exchange and a visiting professor at the Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo after retiring from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 2005 as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs. In the Foreign Ministry Mr. Tanaka held various posts which include Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau (2001–02) and the Economic Affairs Bureau (2000–01); Consul-General in San Francisco (1998–2000); and Deputy Director-General of the North American Affairs Bureau (1996–98). Mr. Tanaka holds a B.A. in law from Kyoto University and B.A./ M.A. in PPE from Oxford University. He writes various articles both in Japanese and English including East Asia Insights (http://www.jcie.or.jp/insights/).