Wilson Center Awards Inaugural Japan Foundation Visiting Fellowship

WASHINGTON DC-- The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has appointed Dr. Kotaro Shiojiri as the Asia Program’s Inaugural Japan Foundation Visiting Scholar. Dr. Shiojiri will spend 12 months in residence in Washington from September 2023 to August 2024, carrying out research on economic security and the challenges as well as opportunities ahead in US-Japan relations.

Prior to his appointment at the Wilson Center, Dr. Shiojiri was a visiting scholar and adjunct lecturer at the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for Est Asian Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University. Previously, he was deputy director of the Oceania Division of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Asia Bureau. He received his PhD in public policy from the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Public Policy, and an LL.M from Harvard Law School.

Dr Shiojiri’s project will focus on how Washington and Tokyo can work together to enhance their economic security. His work will reflect how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and various countermeasures taken against Russia as well as Chinese economic coercion among others are bringing like-minded countries closer together to strengthen their economic resilience. Rising tensions across the Taiwan strait is increasing concerns about economic security, while evolving issues around gray-zone conflict and hybrid war also highlight the need to address the intersection of economy and national security. Amid such uncertainties in the geopolitical landscape, Dr. Shiojiri’s project aims to identify how ties between the United States, Japan, and beyond can be strengthened in the field of economic security.

The Japan Foundation Visiting Fellowship is a residential scholarship that will enhance the strategic partnership between Japan and the United States by bridging the worlds of academic research and policy implementation. Sponsored by the Japan Foundation, this is a residential fellowship at the Wilson Center based in Washington DC. The Fellowship will allow a scholar up to 12 months to pursue policy oriented research focused on issues of mutual interest to both the United States and Japan. Following their residency, the Japan Fellow will produce a policy brief and give a public presentation based on their research at the Center.

The Japan Foundation is a public institution established in 1972 to promote international cultural exchange throughout the world. With programs on culture, language, and dialogue, the Japan Foundation creates opportunities to foster friendship, trust, and mutual understanding between the people of Japan and other nations, offering diverse programs including seminars, exhibitions, grants, and Japanese language courses through its 30 offices worldwide.

Chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1968, the Wilson Center provides nonpartisan counsel and insights on global affairs to policymakers through deep research, impartial analysis, and independent scholarship. The Wilson Center brings fresh thinking and deep expertise to the most pressing policy challenges we face today. The Center convenes scholars to create a global dialogue of ideas that Congress, the administration, and the international policy community can act on.