Event Report: The 13th Annual Japan Canada Academic Consortium Student Forum

This year's theme was “Japan-Canada Peace and Security Cooperation in the Asia/Indo-Pacific,” and it was hosted by the Keiko and Charles Belair Centre for East Asian Studies, Renison University College and the University of Waterloo, in cooperation with the Prince Takamado Japan Centre Teaching and Research, University of Alberta. In the light of an unprecedented Russian aggression against Ukraine, this year's theme was more relevant than ever.

The conference has been very successful and offered a space for a fruitful discussion and exchange of ideas between 20 students from Japan and Canada. All meetings were held online via Zoom and via Gather Town video conference platforms, taking into consideration the difference in time zones.

Prior to the conference, students watched pre-recorded lectures, which were available to view online a week before the forum. This year’s list of speakers was exceptionally good, as we have managed to assemble the most distinguished experts in the field:

Lecture 1: “Canada-Japan Military Relations: Shaky Past, Uncertain Future?” Captain Hugues Canuel, Canadian Defence Attaché to Japan

Lecture 2: “Canada-Japan Peace and Security Cooperation: A View from Tokyo” Dr. Akiko Fukushima, Senior Fellow, The Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research

Lecture 3: “70 Years Later: The San Francisco System and the Regional Conflicts in East Asia” Dr. Kimie Hara, Professor and the Renison Research Professor in East Asian Studies, Renison University College, University of Waterloo

Lecture 4: “Japan as a Harbinger State and a Source of Lessons for Other Countries” Dr. Phillip Y. Lipscy, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, Chair in Japanese Politics and Global Affairs, Director, Centre for the Study of Global Japan, University of Toronto

Lecture 5: “Moving from Comfortable to Inspiring: Japan-Canada Relations in the Indo-Pacific Era” Dr. Jonathan Berkshire Miller, Senior Fellow - Japan Institute of International Affairs. Director & Senior Fellow on Indo-Pacific - Macdonald Laurier Institute. Senior Fellow - Asian Forum Japan. Director - Council on International Policy

Lecture 6: “What Can Canada and Japan Do to Lower the Dangers of War in Taiwan and the South China Sea?” Dr. David Welch, University Research Chair and Professor of Political Science, University of Waterloo and Balsillie School of International Affairs

The major conference program started with an Orientation on Friday, 18 February, followed by a key lecture by the by Consul-General Sasayama Takuya, Consulate-General of Japan in Toronto. Mr. Takuya shared a personal insight from his own life on how to pursue a career in diplomacy. The next day, forum participants had a unique chance to meet with the graduate students from the Balsillie School of International Affairs. The latter offered their advice and helped our students to further crystalize their ideas about topics for their final presentations. The Q and A Session with all six speakers was a dynamic discussion and took place on 15 February 2021. It provided both students and speakers an opportunity to discuss various issues that were raised in the lectures and the readings.

Finally, after a week of preparation, the JACAC participants gave their final presentations in front of an audience of 30+ people. As a result, Chiara from University of Waterloo (Canada), Maiki from Tsuda University (Japan), Saki from Seinan Gakuin University (Japan), and Yusuke from Hosei University (Japan) from Group 5 got the highest number of points from the judges for their insightful presentation: “How Should Canada and Japan cooperate with ASEAN countries?” Maz from Laval University and Saki from Seinan Gakuin University have received the JACAC 2022 Leadership Awards for excellent leadership skills and ability to motivate the team to achieve remarkable results. The 13th JACAC Student Forum closed with the Online Reception held in Gather Town on Friday, 25 February, where winners were announced and where students had an opportunity to communicate informally with each other and the organizers.

Congratulations to all participants and their universities!!!

Watch 2022 JACAC Student Forum’s First Prize Winners’ Team Video Presentation below