Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Japan

06/02/2026

📢 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: We are pleased to share our latest publication, “4 I’s Explanation of Korea’s ODA Policy,” authored by Prof. Seokwoo Kim from the University of Seoul.

Using a unique analytical framework based on the 4 I’s—identity, interests, ideas, and institutions, the article provides key insights into the evolution and direction of Korea’s ODA policy.

📝 Read it here:

Single title

21/01/2026

We’re happy to welcome our new colleague, Marko Klaic, who joins the team as Project Manager for the Country Programme Japan.

Marko brings a strong background and deep expertise in foreign policy and international relations, which will be a great asset to our work. We’re delighted to have him with us and look forward to working together on our upcoming projects.

14/01/2026

Today we had the pleasure of receiving the Swedish delegation of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) and the Swedish Defence Attaché in Tokyo, Lieutenant-Colonel Mika Ihalainen, to our office for an insightful expert exchange on regional security concerns and Japanese-Korean relations.

Thank you to all participants for the fruitful discussion, which offered unique insights from DMZ in-field specialists and allowed us to share our perspective on these pressing topics!

24/12/2025

Our team at KAS Japan wishes everyone a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

15/12/2025

Meet Abraham Emil Salazar Lugo, who joined our team in November as a Project Manager for our Regional Economic Programme Asia (SOPAS) and has already hit the ground running!

Just three weeks in, Abraham successfully led our SOPAS AI Event in Manila, bringing his expertise, energy, and leadership to the table.

Welcome to the team, Abraham - we’re excited to have you with us!

09/12/2025

📽 How important is government support for in to better understand and adopt ?

In our interview with us, Dr. Rachel Gong, Deputy Director of Research at the Khazanah Research Institute (Malaysia), shares insights on the role of government initiatives, challenges with uptake and the barriers Southeast Asian SMEs face in developing their own large language models.

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In this interview, Dr. Rachel Gong, Deputy Director of Research at the Khazanah Research Institute (Malaysia), shares insights on the role of government init...

05/12/2025

🌏𝐊𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐏𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 & 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐫𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Over the past two days, our KAS SOPAS international seminar brought together trade experts from across the Indo-Pacific to explore the future of sustainable economic integration. Together, we discussed ways to strengthen open markets, foster innovation, and balance national priorities with shared interests.

The seminar concluded with a public event in Tokyo, where key insights and takeaways were shared with a wider audience.

A heartfelt thank you to all our speakers, panellists, and participants for contributing your insights, expertise, and energy to this important conversation!

01/12/2025

🚨 𝑳𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍 🚨

Today is the final day to register for our public event on the 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗿𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 in Tokyo!

Don’t miss this chance to hear leading experts discuss how global trade is being reshaped by geopolitics, new powers, and digital transformation.

👉 Register now via our website: https://www.kas.de/en/web/japan/veranstaltungen/detail/-/content/future-of-global-trade-in-an-era-of-shifting-u-s-engagement-emerging-powers-and-digital-innovation

📅 Thu, December 4
🕒 16:30 – 18:00 JST
💬 Language: English
📍 The Okura Tokyo

🗣️ Speakers:

⬩ Mr. Pradeep Mehta, Secretary General, Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS)
⬩ Dr. Peter Draper, Professor and Executive Director, Institute for International Trade (IIT), University of Adelaide
⬩ Dr. Dinh Tuan Minh, Research Director, Market Solutions Research Center for Social and Economic Issues (MASSEi)
⬩ Dr. Prabir De, Professor, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)
⬩ Dr. Qian Jiwei, Senior Research Fellow, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore
⬩ Mr. Stephen Olson, Visiting Fellow, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore

KAS SOPAS Public Event

28/11/2025

🌏 𝗞𝗔𝗦 𝗦𝗢𝗣𝗔𝗦 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝗨𝗽: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗠𝗘𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮

Over the past two days, our KAS SOPAS follow-up seminar in Manila brought together regional experts on AI to build on the outcomes of the July 2025 event in Tokyo. The discussions explored how national AI strategies can be translated into real-world transformation at the SME level, and how partnerships across Asia and Europe can scale innovation, inclusion, and competitiveness.

A big thank you to all our insightful speakers and engaged participants for a truly thought-provoking exchange!

👉 More info:

KAS SOPAS Seminar in Manila

27/11/2025

🚨The Countdown is On!

Only 7 days left to our public event on the 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗿𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 in Tokyo!

📲 To join us, register now via the link on our website: https://www.kas.de/en/web/japan/veranstaltungen/detail/-/content/future-of-global-trade-in-an-era-of-shifting-u-s-engagement-emerging-powers-and-digital-innovation

📅 Thu, December 4 | 🕒 16:30 - 18:00 JST
💬 Language: English
📍 The Okura Tokyo

🗣️Speakers:
⬩ Mr. Pradeep Mehta, Secretary General, Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS)
⬩ Dr. Peter Draper, Professor and Executive Director, Institute for International Trade (IIT) in the Faculty of the Professions, University of Adelaide
⬩ Dr. Dinh Tuan Minh, Research Director of the Market Solutions Research Center for Social and Economic Issues (MASSEi)
⬩ Dr. Prabir De, Professor, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)
⬩ Dr. Qian Jiwei, Senior Research Fellow, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore
⬩ Mr. Stephen Olson, Visiting Fellow, ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore

KAS SOPAS Public Event

21/11/2025

𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲’𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻–𝗘𝗨 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆

This Wednesday we held our third joint seminar on economic security,
co-hosted with the Nakasone Peace Institute (NPI). Together we discussed how Japan can cooperate and collaborate with the EU and Germany, focusing on areas essential for economic activities such as critical minerals and energy on critical raw materials and supply chains.

We sincerely thank our distinguished speakers Dr. Jan Cernicky, Prof. Shin KAWASHIMA, Prof. Yoko IWAMA, Dr. Satoshi Inomata and Prof. Dr. Steffen Hindelang, LL.M. for their invaluable contributions!

17/11/2025

📢 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗿𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Global trade is undergoing major transformation amid shifting U.S. engagement, the rise of emerging powers, and rapid digital innovation.
Against this background, our public seminar aims to generate fresh insights and policy ideas for building a resilient, rules-based regional economy in an increasingly dynamic global landscape.

📅 December 4 | 🕒 16:30 - 18:00 JST
🔄Language: English
📍The Okura Tokyo
🗣️Speakers:
⬩ Mr. Pradeep Mehta, Secretary General, Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS)
⬩ Dr. Peter Draper, Professor and Executive Director, Institute for International Trade (IIT) in the Faculty of the Professions, University of Adelaide
⬩ Dr. Dinh Tuan Minh, Research Director of the Market Solutions Research Center for Social and Economic Issues (MASSEi)
⬩ Dr. Prabir De, Professor, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)
⬩ Dr. Qian Jiwei, Senior Research Fellow, East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore
⬩ Mr. Stephen Olson, Visiting Fellow, ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore

👉To join us on-site please register by Monday, December 1, 2025, via the link on our website: https://www.kas.de/en/web/japan/veranstaltungen/detail/-/content/future-of-global-trade-in-an-era-of-shifting-u-s-engagement-emerging-powers-and-digital-innovation

KAS SOPAS Public Event