Dear all,

The Economic Security Intelligence Lab (ESIL) at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), The University of Tokyo, is pleased to invite you to a public seminar titled:

National Capabilities and Perceptions in Times of Crisis:

Taiwan and Japan in Comparative Perspective

Drawing from a research initiative under the Geopolitical Frontiers Team of the Future Potentials Observatory (FPO), this seminar will feature a dual presentation on the intersection of national resilience and strategic perception in the Asia-Pacific.

Drawing from an ongoing research project under the Geopolitical Frontiers Team of the Future Potentials Observatory (FPO), this session will feature a dual presentation: Dr. Nuno Morgado (Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary) will address the theoretical foundations of neoclassical geopolitics, while Dr. Takashi Hosoda (Assistant Professor, University of Defense, Czech Republic) will present empirical analyses of Taiwan's and Japan's capacity to sustain national functioning during extended crises.

These case studies include assessments of key geopolitical agents and their perceptions of national potential and national power, such as Taiwan's maritime logistics, shipping capacity, domestic stockpiles, and resource alternatives, as well as Japan's overall strategic preparedness, based on two academic articles: one recently published in Asian International Studies Review and another currently under final review.

Together, their presentations address the broader phenomenon of "geopolitical misrepresentation" (or geomisguidance) in contemporary security environments, exploring how material and non-material factors, including cognitive, institutional, and cultural variables, shape strategic decision-making amid uncertainty.

【 Event Details】

Date: Friday, July 7, 2025

Time: 15:30-16:30 (Registration opens at 15:00)

Language: English

Venue: 2nd Floor Conference Hall, Building #4, Komaba II Campus, RCAST, The University of Tokyo

(4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8904 JAPAN)

Please note: This venue is located on the Komaba II Campus, not the Komaba I Campus.

【 Speakers】

Dr. Nuno Morgado is a political scientist specializing in geopolitics, with a regional focus on the post-Soviet space, East Asia, and South America. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Corvinus University of Budapest, and formerly served as Visiting Scholar at the Universities of Vienna, São Paulo, and West Virginia. From 2013 to 2024, he taught Strategic Studies and Foreign Policy at Charles University in Prague. His publications include Geopolitics in the Twenty-First Century (2021), and contributions to the Routledge Handbook of AI Governance and National Security (2025), Asian International Studies Review (2025) and Southeast European and Black Sea Studies (2025).

Dr. Takashi Hosoda is an international relations and security studies scholar based in the Czech Republic. He is currently Assistant Professor at the Institute of Intelligence Studies, University of Defense (Czech Republic), and teaches at West Bohemia University and Charles University. His research covers strategic culture, hybrid and cognitive warfare, civil-military fusion, and maritime security. His work has appeared in journals such as Identity, Culture and Memory in Japanese Foreign Policy (2021), Geopolitics in the Twenty-First Century (2021), West Bohemian Historical Review (2023), and Asian International Studies Review (2025).

【 Moderator】

Akira Igata is a Project Lecturer and heads the Economic Security Intelligence Lab (ESIL) at RCAST, the University of Tokyo. He holds affiliations with several international think tanks and policy institutions, including the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), Pacific Forum (PF), Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), the National Security College at the Australian National University (NSC, ANU), the European Values Center for Security Studies (EVC), and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC).

We hope you'll join us for what promises to be a thought-provoking session, and we welcome your active participation during the discussion.

Best regards,

Akira