In the face of Chinese assertiveness and North Korea’s military provocations, the security environment in Indo-Pacific has become precarious. Japan, protected by its security treaty with the United States, has only just begun to confront these challenges and threats. With Prime Minister Abe’s reform of the fundamental security law, Japan is now able to respond as an American ally in a substantive manner.

In this public lecture, Professor Yukio Okamoto will ask how Japan’s relationship with the United States will likely evolve under the Trump presidency and what challenges and opportunities exist for the future of Indo-Pacific security. Professor Okamoto will also argue that Japan must become an important player in providing international public goods and, in a turbulent world, remain a good partner for Indo-Pacific nations.

Mr Yukio Okamoto is the President of Okamoto Associates, a political and economic consultancy, and a Senior Research Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for International Studies. From 1968 to 1991, he was a diplomat in Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His overseas postings were at Paris, Cairo and Washington. From 1996 to 1998, Mr Okamoto was a Special Advisor to Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and again from 2001 to 2004, to Prime Minister Jun-ichiro Koizumi, also serving as the Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Foreign Relations. He is a Visiting Professor of International Relations at Ritsumeikan University as well as Tohoku University and sits on the boards of several Japanese multinational companies. Professor Okamoto has written many books on Japanese diplomacy and is a regular contributor to major print and broadcast media.

This event will be followed by a light reception.