JIIA Asian Scholars Forum 2026 Held in Tokyo

On September 8, 2026, the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) held the JIIA Asian Scholars Forum 2026 at its office in Tokyo.

Since 2022, JIIA has hosted the JIIA Fellowship Program for Young Asian Researchers, inviting promising young researchers (Fellows) from across Asia to Japan for study visits throughout the country and discussions on global issues with government officials and leading experts. The program is designed to deepen mutual understanding and strengthen regional networks.

This year, JIIA was pleased to welcome all 16 Fellows to the JIIA Asian Scholars Forum 2026. Together with former ambassadors and experts in international relations, they engaged in lively discussions on the future of the Indo-Pacific region, which is being reshaped by intensifying competition between the United States and China, as well as on the course that Asian countries should pursue in the years ahead. 

Thanks to the generous support of JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa, the participants were afforded the opportunity to visit the JAXA Tsukuba Space Center and attend a special lecture on Japan-ASEAN cooperation in the advanced field of space exploration and development.

Participants

Fellows:
Mr. Jikko Alfonso Puzon (Philippines)
Ms. Angeline Tan, Analyst, Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) (Malaysia)
Dr. Do Mai Lan (online participant), Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam/Vietnam Embassy in USA (Vietnam)
Mr. Marlo Luigi M. Joble, Program Manager for APAC at Ernst & Young; Consultant at White Rook Advisory (Philippines)
Dr. Anjali Kumari, Assistant Professor at Vivekananda College, University of Delhi (India)
Mr. Kamburawala Kankanamge Pradeep Ranawaeera, Lecturer, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (Sri Lanka)
Dr. Arnab Dasgupta, Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (India)
Ms. Cindy Annemarie Frieda Mandagi (online participant): Community Program and Events Manager, Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) (Indonesia)
Ms. Lan Anh Nguyen Dang (online participant), Institute for Asia-Pacific Studies, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (Vietnam)
Mr. Quang Hong Trieu, Institute for South Asian, West Asian and African Studies (ISAWAAS), Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) (Vietnam)
Ms. Catrice Butterworth, Government employee (Philippines)
Ms. Wong Sook Wei, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University (Malaysia)
Dr. Mohammad Hilmy Baihaqy Yussof, Director at Centre of International and Public Relations, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA); Asst. Professor at Faculty of Islamic Development Management, UNISSA (Brunei)
Ms. Abigail Anne U. Ubando (Philippines)
Mr. Sean Tan Yi Jin, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (Singapore)
Dr. Pongkwan Sawasdipakdi: Thammasat University (Thailand)

Moderators / Commentators:
Mr. Masafumi Ishii, Managing Director, JIIA Platform; Former Ambassador of Japan to Indonesia; Former Ambassador of Japan to Belgium; Former Director General for Legal Affairs Bureau (MOFA)
Mr. Takio Yamada, Executive Director, JIIA Center for Global Outreach; Former Ambassador of Japan to Vietnam; Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to UNESCO
Professor Kaoru Iokibe, University of Tokyo
Professor Ryoko Nakano, Kanazawa University
Dr. Robert D. Eldridge, Senior Fellow, JIIA

JIIA:
Mr. Masao Kochi, Managing Director, The Center for Territory and History, Senior Research Fellow
Mr. Ryota Okamoto, Research Fellow, The Center for Territory and History
Mr. Hironobu Takezawa, Research Fellow, The Center for Territory and History

JIIA Asian Scholars Forum (September 8, 2026)

left: Welcome Remarks by JIIA President Kenichiro Sasae
center: The 2026 Fellows presenting their research findings. From left to right: Ms. Abigail Anne U. Ubando (Philippines), Mr. Sean Tan Yi Jin (Singapore), Dr. Pongkwan Sawasdipakdi (Thailand)

Visit to JAXA Tsukuba Space Center (September 9, 2026)