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 symposium featuring the former Defense Minister of Georgia Tinatin Khidasheli titled:

 

Frontlines of Influence:

Russia, China, and the Hybrid Contest over Georgia

 

In recent years, Georgia has stood at a geopolitical crossroads, caught between its aspirations for deeper integration with Europe and the expanding influence of authoritarian networks centered in Moscow and Beijing. Although a small country in the Caucasus, Georgia reflects many of the world's most urgent strategic challenges: Russian elite capture encouraging democratic backsliding, China's economic engagement creating new dependencies and opaque financial flows, and the rapid erosion of civic space that undermines civil society and opposition voices.

 

The symposium will feature a keynote address by Tinatin Khidasheli, former Georgian Minister of Defence and current head of the Georgian think tank Civic Idea. She will outline the current domestic situation and Russia's role in shaping political dynamics inside Georgia. Her remarks will also explore how Georgia has become a test site for hybrid warfare, with clear parallels to gray zone tactics in the South China Sea and around Taiwan. Ms. Khidasheli will discuss the promised investments from China in Georgia such as the strategically critical port of Anaklia that faces the Black Seas, the regional connectivity logic shaping the Caucasus, and the potential role that Japan can play in countering China's rise in countries facing similar pressures.

 

These issues are not limited to Georgia. Disinformation campaigns originating from authoritarian actors have had international consequences, including direct implications for Japan. As civic space has contracted within Georgia, Ms. Khidasheli has herself become a target of mass disinformation. One prominent example is an absurd television "documentary" that falsely portrayed her as a "Taiwanese agent" and even claimed that the Japanese government bribed her to carry out its agenda.

 

Ms. Khidasheli will be joined by two leading experts. Dr. Aya Adachi of the German Council on Foreign Relations will contribute insights from her research on Chinese economic influence in Georgia. Maya Sobchuk of the Economic Security Intelligence Lab at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, will draw on her work on Russian influence operations in Georgia. Akira Igata will moderate the discussion and guide the conversation toward three core themes: the strategic resilience of small democratic states, the implications for European and Asian security theaters, and policy options for partners such as Japan.

 

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

 

【 Event Details】

Date: Monday, December 1, 2025
Time: 10:00-11:30 (Registration opens at 9:30)
Language: English
Venue: ENEOS Hall, 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.

 

【 Registration Link】

https://forms.gle/n6xpyZSLxCWWcgNa8

 

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

 

As always, we will ensure ample time for Q&A, and we encourage active participation from the audience.

 

We look forward to welcoming you to this timely and important seminar.

 

Best regards,
Akira

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Akira Igata

Project Lecturer, 

Economic Security Intelligence Lab (ESIL),

Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), 

The University of Tokyo

Tel: 080-7888-2435

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