This year, Tohoku University, together with Sophia University and Keio University, has held a Tri-University Workshop Series, entitled “On Ukraine’s Recovery and Future”. The third event was held on December 4, 2023 on Keio University’s Mita Campus.*
The focus of this workshop was the reconstruction and development of Ukraine, and the participants specifically discussed the possibility of cooperation between Japan and the regional alliance of Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania, known as the Lublin Triangle.
To begin, Keio University’s President, Prof. Kohei Itoh, gave an opening address, and this was followed by a keynote speech by H.E. Dr. Sergiy Korsunsky, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Japan. Dr. Korsunsky said that the Lublin Triangle has historically been a cooperative alliance, and he emphasized the importance of international cooperation for the reconstruction and development of Ukraine.
H.E. Mr. Paweł Milewski, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Poland to Japan, and H.E. Dr. Aurelijus Zykas, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Lithuania to Japan, then spoke about the support that is being provided for the reconstruction of Ukraine. They spoke of how Japan has extensive experience in reconstruction following the Second World War and natural disasters, and they expressed their hopes that Japan’s unique experiences and knowledge can help with Ukraine’s recovery.
Lectures were also given by Prof. Takeshi Yuasa of Sophia University’s Department of Russian Studies (in the Faculty of Foreign Studies), and Prof. Hidenori Tozawa, Dean of Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Law. Professor Yuasa’s lecture was on “Regionalism in Eurasia after Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine”, and Professor Tozawa gave a lecture entitled “US-follower, ‘Checkbook diplomacy’ or as a Middle power? On the Possibilities and Limits of Japanese Diplomacy in a Turbulent World”, which looked at the potential for Japanese diplomacy to play a part in the modern world.
In a subsequent panel discussion and Q&A session, the speakers provided a variety of perspectives, and the audience, which included international students, asked a number of interesting questions.
*The first event was held at Sophia University on June 30, and the second event was held at Tohoku University on September 8.
Photographs are courtesy of Keio University’s Office of Communications and Public Relations
