The 36th Stockholm Seminar on Japan

Speaker: Dr. Paul O’Shea, The European Institute of Japanese Studies

A territorial dispute between Japan and China over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands has been dominating the news in recent weeks. However, absent from many of the reports has been an understanding of context and history. In this seminar, Dr. Paul O’Shea will provide a background and analyze how the dispute has developed since the end of the Cold War. He will also discuss Japan’s territorial dispute with South Korea over the Dokdo/Takeshima islands. Both disputes have become politicized this year due to the existence of undersea deposits of oil and gas and the symbolic value of the disputed islands.

Paul O’Shea recently completed a joint Ph.D at the University of Sheffield in the UK and Tohoku University, Japan. To date, he has conducted extensive research on territorial disputes in Northeast Asia, and his research interests encompass not only international territorial disputes but also international relations and security in Northeast Asia, particularly Japan’s relations with China, South Korea and Russia.

Discussant: Dr. Linus Hagström, Senior Research Fellow, UI

The seminar will be moderated by Dr. Marie Söderberg, Professor and Director, The European Institute of Japanese Studies and UI board member

Venue: Utrikespolitiska institutet, Drottning Kristinas väg 37, Stockholm

Language: English

The event is free of charge

Registration via enclosed invitation.

The seminar series is jointly organized by the East Asia Program at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, the European Institute of Japanese Studies at Stockholm School of Economics, and the Department of Japanese Studies at Stockholm University. It features monthly seminars on Japanese economy, politics and society.