Events

"Let's Look Inside UT's Labs!" is an annual event that has been held since 2012, during which high school students from all over Japan and the world get a glimpse of what it's like inside the University of Tokyo. This year, our Igata Lab is joining this program! Wouldn't you like to take a look at the researchers and students who tackle the (currently very topical) issue of Economic Security in their natural habitats?

Nowadays, some states are not only increasing their military power but also refining their tactics through economic and informational policies in response to geopolitical tensions. It is becoming increasingly important to secure supply chains of semiconductors, AI and biotechnologies and increase their global competitiveness. Furthermore, gathering intelligence despite the potential for disinformation and influence operations by generative AI is also of importance. In this event, we will host a lecture covering the fundamentals of economic security and an analysis of some states' recent behaviours. We will also showcase student activities and conclude the sessions with an all inclusive Q&A and discussion.

We will host two in-person sessions on March 26 and two on-line sessions on March 27.
(*Please note that all four sessions will be the same content.)

On March 26 (Thursday), students will have the opportunity to visit the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology in Komaba Campus II, and directly talk to Project Lecturer Igata and a few members of the Economic Security Intelligence lab.

On March 27 (Friday), as the entire program will be carried out online, students living far away will also have a chance to join.

We look forward to receiving your active participation!

*Please note that this event will be conducted in Japanese only.

The Economic Security Intelligence Lab (ESIL) at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), The University of Tokyo, will host the following public seminar, welcoming Dr. Shogo Akagawa, Visiting Lecturer at the Faculty of History and Cultural Studies, Free University of Berlin, and Europe-based Editorial Writer for The Nikkei.

East Germany’s Intelligence Operations Targeting Japan:
Political and Economic Elites, Information Warfare, and Lessons for Today Revealed through Declassified Documents

In this seminar, we will be joined by Dr. Shogo Akagawa, author of the newly published book Hidden Histories of the Cold War between Japan and Germany: Truths Revealed by East German Secret Documents (Keio University Press, October 2025). Drawing on an extensive body of declassified East German intelligence files and interviews with former government officials, the book offers the most comprehensive analysis to date of East Germany’s policy toward Japan and its covert operations during the Cold War. It sheds new light on how Japan was positioned as a strategic frontline state in the East–West confrontation and examines, through primary sources, the nature of contacts, approaches, and influence activities directed at Japanese actors.

The lecture will examine in detail how East Germany conducted its intelligence and influence operations toward Japan, including efforts to cultivate ties with political, business, and media elites, covert activities disguised as economic and commercial exchanges, and cases of industrial espionage such as illegal semiconductor technology transfers in violation of COCOM export controls. By tracing how Japan became entangled in information warfare and influence operations as a result of fundamental misperceptions about the nature of the Cold War, the seminar will also highlight the vulnerabilities in postwar Japan’s understanding of its international environment and external economic relations.

In addition, the seminar will explore what lessons these Cold War experiences offer for today’s international environment. Information warfare, industrial espionage, disinformation, influence operations, and competition over science and technology have reemerged, in transformed forms, as central challenges in contemporary international politics and economic security. Using historical cases as a point of reference, the seminar will provide an opportunity for participants to reflect, through discussion, on the risks of today’s information environment and how best to confront them.

The Economic Security Intelligence Lab (ESIL) at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), The University of Tokyo, will host the following public seminar featuring an American journalist and author based in Taiwan Chris Horton.

Ghost Nation:
Taiwan's Place in the World from an Economic Security Lens

In this seminar, Chris Horton will discuss how Taiwan’s contested political status, vibrant democracy, and central role in the global semiconductor supply chain have become core issues in East Asia’s economic security. Drawing on his new book Ghost Nation: The Story of Taiwan and its Struggle for Survival (Macmillan, July 2025), he will examine how the long “ghosting” of Taiwan by liberal democracies, despite deep reliance on its trade and technology, has contributed to today’s heightened risks of coercion and conflict with the PRC.
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Against this backdrop, the discussion will probe how disruptions to Taiwan’s autonomy or stability could reverberate through regional supply chains, critical infrastructure, and Japan’s own economic security strategy. The panel will explore what Taiwan’s experience reveals about the intersection of information warfare, alliance politics, and technological dependence, and consider implications for policymakers, businesses, and civil society in Japan and beyond.

The situation in Venezuela, which has been tense since the end of last year, began moving rapidly in early January 2026. In the early hours of January 3, the United States conducted a large-scale military operation in Venezuela, detaining President Nicolás Maduro and transporting him out of the country. This move has sent shockwaves through the international community, sparking emergency debates in the UN Security Council and intensifying discussions regarding international law and the principles of sovereignty.

These events are beginning to have a profound impact not only on Venezuela’s internal governance and security but also on the regional order of South America. Reactions among South American nations are divided; several countries, including Brazil and Mexico, have expressed strong concerns regarding unilateral military action.

How is this unprecedented intervention perceived within South America itself? This webinar offers a rare opportunity to engage directly with South American perspectives that are often underrepresented in Japanese and international media coverage.

Chile occupies a unique position: it offers an insider’s perspective as a fellow Latin American nation, yet it also experienced a U.S.-linked regime change in the 1970s before successfully navigating democratization and rebuilding its relationship with the U.S. Today, as a stable middle-power democracy maintaining relations with both the U.S. and China, Chile evaluates the actions of great powers from a measured distance. Drawing on Chile’s historical experience and current standing, this webinar will provide a multi-faceted analysis of what the new U.S. strategy for the Western Hemisphere means for South America and the global order.

We will welcome experts from AthenaLab—a Chilean think tank with which RCAST is planning to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)—to clarify the volatile situation in Venezuela based on the latest developments. We will specifically focus on the new U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS) released at the end of last year. Under the Trump administration, this strategy explicitly prioritizes the "Western Hemisphere" in its foreign and security policy, and the recent actions in Venezuela must be understood within that context. This seminar will examine how the U.S. is redefining South America as a strategic space, as well as the intentions and implications behind this shift.