Amidst the flux of the liberal international order, Japan’s public diplomacy, which relies solely on its cultural uniqueness, is inadequate.

Professor Yasushi Watanabe of Keio University proposes new principles for an age where the diplomatic sphere is expanding from negotiation tactics to agenda setting and norm setting. In this presentation, Professor Watanabe will review the trajectory of Japan’s public diplomacy, its challenges and possibilities, with particular attention to the Tokyo 2020 Games.

About the Speakers:

Professor Yasushi Watanabe is a professor at the Graduate School of Media and Governance at Keio University in Japan, and is one of Japan’s most prominent experts on cultural policy and public diplomacy. He received the Japan Academy Prize—the highest award for young scholars under 45 in Japan.

Professor Corneliu Bjola is Associate Professor in Diplomatic Studies at the University of Oxford and Head of the Oxford Digital Diplomacy Research Group. He also serves as a Faculty Fellow at the Center on Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California and as a Professorial Lecturer at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. His research focuses on the impact of digital technology on the conduct of diplomacy with a focus on strategic communication, digital influence, data analytics and methods for countering digital propaganda.

All welcome to this free event.