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 host a public seminar titled:

Transparency and Counter-Coercion at Sea:

How Capacity-Building Initiatives are Paying Dividends in Maritime Southeast Asia

How does transparent accounting of events and confrontations at sea support efforts aimed at promoting a rules-based maritime order? How can governments safeguard their institutions and the public from foreign malign influence operations that seek to confuse their people, poison political discourse, and make outright violations of international law seem acceptable and coercion, justifiable? What are the intersections of economic security and maritime security, including the application of critical technologies at sea, the protection of offshore infrastructure, and the disruption of supply chains through contested sea lanes? Finally, how are the various capacity-building efforts by Japan, Australia, the United States, France, Canada and other like-minded states related to promoting maritime domain awareness and law enforcement at sea contribute to greater stability and security in Southeast Asian waters? 

This seminar features Dr. Jay Tristan Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard, a leading practitioner in maritime transparency and counter-coercion, and Dr. Jeffrey Ordaniel, Associate Professor of International Security at Tokyo International University, who brings deep academic expertise on the subject. Together, their complementary perspectives offer a valuable opportunity to understand how the Philippines - and Southeast Asia more broadly - perceive and respond to these pressing maritime challenges. Akira Igata will moderate the panel and offer the Japanese perspective on maritime security cooperation, economic security, and efforts to enhance transparency, protect maritime supply chains, and counter economic coercion in the region.

The seminar will be conducted in English, and pre-registration is required to participate.

【 Event Details】
Date: Monday, June 30, 2025
Time: 15:00-16:30 (Registration opens at 14:30)
Language: English
Venue: Mezzanine Floor Conference Room, Building #3-S, 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.

＊Note: For security reasons, participants who do not provide complete and accurate information regarding their identity, affiliation, and position may not be admitted.

【 Registration Link】

CG COMMO Jay Tristan Tarriela has completed his Ph.D. at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) under the GRIPS Global Governance (G-cube) Program in Tokyo as a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) ASEAN Public Policy Leadership scholar. At present, he is the Commander of the West Philippine Sea Transparency Group and Spokesperson for the South China Sea matters of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). He attended numerous military and coast guard training, locally and abroad. He holds a graduate degree from the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy Graduate School and a Master of Policy Studies from GRIPS and the Japan Coast Guard Academy, where he was part of the first batch of the Maritime Safety and Security Program launched jointly by both institutions in 2016. Dr. Tarriela was chosen as part of the inaugural cohort of the Pacific Forum US-Philippines' Next Generation Leaders' Initiative. Further, he was selected as a fellow of the 2021 East-West Center US-Philippines Alliance Fellowship in Washington, DC, USA. Dr. Tarriela has written opinion-editorial articles published by The Diplomat, The National Interest, Analyzing War, RSIS Briefs, and other leading publications. He has also served as visiting lecturer at the National Defense College of the Philippines, Philippine Public Safety College, Ateneo De Manila University School of Government, and the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy Graduate School.

Dr. Jeffrey Ordaniel is an Associate Professor of International Security Studies at Tokyo International University (TIU) in Japan. He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations and specializes in the study of offshore territorial and maritime entitlement disputes in Asia. His teaching and research revolve around maritime security and ocean governance, ASEAN regionalism, and broadly, U.S. alliances and engagements in the Indo-Pacific. From 2016 to 2019, he was based in Honolulu and was the holder of the endowed Admiral Joe Vasey Fellowship at the Pacific Forum. Dr. Ordaniel convenes the annual track 1.5 process, The Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea and serves as President and CEO of We Protect our Seas (www.wps-ph.org), a research and advocacy organization in Manila that also functions as the Philippine Committee for the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP). His previous research on maritime security in Asia is funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), 2020-2024.

【 Moderator】
Akira Igata is a Project Lecturer and heads the Economic Security Intelligence Laboratory (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 warmly invite you to join this timely and engaging discussion, which offers a unique opportunity to gain insights into how the Philippines and Southeast Asia perceive and respond to today's maritime security challenges.