Graduate School of International Culture and Communication StudiesWaseda University

Faculty

IKESHIMA, Taisaku

  • TitleProfessor
  • DegreeDoctor in Law (Keio University)
  • Directed ResearchInternational Legal Studies
  • Research FieldInternational Law, Geopolitics

Biography

I obtained LLB, LLM, PhD (Keio University), and DES (Institut Universitaire de Hautes Études Internationales (IUHEI), Université de Genève). I teach public international law, international relations and other related courses at Waseda. I have served as legal adviser at the Japanese Embassy in the Netherlands, and have lectured at various universities (ex. Cambridge, Lingnan, Sciences Po à Paris, and Shanghai). I have also been on various committees on Antarctic, Arctic and maritime issues at the Ministry of Education (MEXT) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Japan. I was a Visiting Fellow (British Council Fellow) at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law (LCIL) and the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI), University of Cambridge. 

I wrote The Antarctic Treaty System and International Law: The Coordination of Interests in Territory, Resources, and the Environment, Keio University Press, 2000 (in Japanese). My recent publications include ‘China’s Dashed Line in the South China Sea’, Waseda Global Forum (WGF), No. 10, 2014; ‘Applicability of the Law of the Sea in the Settlement of Territorial and Maritime Disputes in the East and South China Seas’, WGF, No. 11, 2015; ‘Geopolitical Dynamics in the Arctic’, in Global Challenges in the Arctic Region, (Eds.) Elena Conde & Sara Iglesias Sanchez, Routledge, 2016; ‘Japan’s Role as an Asian Observer state within and outside the Arctic Council’s Framework’, Polar Science, Vol. 10, 2016; ‘Fundamental Pitfalls of the South China Sea Arbitration Ruling’, WGF, No. 13, 2017; ‘Diplomatic and Legal Challenges to the Historic Legacies of Japan’s Territorial Disputes’, Transcommunication, Vol. 4-2, 2017; ‘The Notion of Global Commons under International Law’, Transcommunication, Vol. 5-1, Spring 2018‘Japan’s Practice of International Cooperation: Overcoming Territorial and Maritime Disputes in East Asia’, Transcommunication, Vol. 7-2, 2020. 

Major Works / Publications Awards

https://w-rdb.waseda.jp/html/100000724_en.html

Directed Research

International law is often regarded as universal, but it is not necessarily so. Many people currently see various unexpected events and cases which are contrary to the idea of the protection of human rights (freedom), democracy, and the Rule of Law, particularly when people see the confrontation between the United States and China has drastically shaken the current world order. There are, in fact, numerous ways of thinking in the fields of human rights, territorial/maritime disputes, investment and trade, environmental protection, pandemic such as COVID-19, and the treatment of refugees and minorities against the background of each state’s legal, historical, cultural, and geopolitical conditions. Among recent critical issues are how to implement practically the world legal order and to enforce its rules in the international community, and how communication between states and other actors can be facilitated.

This course will discuss the territorial/maritime disputes, economic and trade conflicts, and diplomatic and geopolitical factors to be considered in the settlement of international disputes.
As regards the significance of communication, this course will consider what kind of legal rules and norms apply nowadays to communication between states through various global media. It will also examine current related issues through concrete cases and the written works prepared by the seminar participants. The class will explore communication’s role to play in the settlement of an international dispute through consultation, negotiation, and a third-party mechanism, including international organizations.
Based on diverse values and various cultures, our students aim to understand (1) how we should grasp the way an international legal order emerges and develops, (2) what the strengths and weaknesses the order may have on each country’s domestic political and legal situation in a future, and (3) how to write a successful dissertation on the basis of the topics and methods mentioned above.

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