What do we learn from the brutal Russian military attack on Ukraine's nuclear facilities?

Moderator: Isao Itabashi

Russia's military attack and occupations of civilian nuclear facilities such as the Chernobyl and Zaporizhian Nuclear Power Plants in Ukraine have shocked the world and have yet to be resolved. Although military attacks against such civilian nuclear facilities are currently prohibited under the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, no measures or rules have been established to deal with such attacks in the event they actually occur.

As of January 1, 2021, there are 434 nuclear power plants in operation in 31 countries worldwide (According to Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Trends in Global Nuclear Power Development 2021), nuclear power plants may similarly become targets of wars and armed conflicts in the future, so rules must be promptly established under international law, etc., and countermeasures must be considered.

In this context, we will discuss the problems and issues related to Russia's attack on Ukraine's nuclear facilities, and consider the defense of nuclear facilities and nuclear security.

Changing geopolitical environment and measures in new domains

Moderator: Nagashima Jun 

In recent years, outer space has been expected to play an important role as a civilian system in navigations, communications, broadcasting, etc., as a frontier of science and technology, and as a fundamental driving force for economic growth, in line with the progress of science and technology. On the other hand, as military use of outer space has become more active worldwide lately, outer space has become a war zone and is turning into a "contested, competitive, and crowded" space. This session will share the challenges of multilateral defense cooperation in outer space among the major related countries and discuss how to ensure the security of outer space through international cooperation.

Moderator: Hideo Suzuki

While it has been eight years passed since the Defense Equipment Transfer Principle was revised in 2014, only a few cases of equipment transfer from Japan have been made. The support to Ukraine was limited to bulletproof vests. A discussion will be made on to what extent the defense equipment transfer principles should be modified to increase international cooperation on defense equipment and security cooperation. We will also explore the possibility of international joint development of defense equipment in the future, taking into account the past experiences in the U.S. and the U. K.

Efforts to acquire and incorporate innovative technologies

Moderator: Hideaki Watanabe

Today, the strengthening of defense capabilities has become a top priority for countries around the world. This requires the development and introduction of powerful defense equipment, thus the acquisition of innovative leading-edge technologies is key. Innovative equipment can transform the overall combat scene and give an advantage in battle. Therefore, each country is promoting its defense technology policy, including budgetary allocations, in order to acquire advanced technologies.

In particular, emerging technologies such as AI, quantum technology, drone technology, and biotechnology, or new technologies related to outer space, cyber warfare, and electromagnetic waves, which are called new domains, are of great importance. On the other hand, new materials and devices that support these new technologies or new fields of technology are also very important. Each country has announced the technologies to be emphasized and the strategies or policies for incorporating these technologies. For example, the U.S. published its Strategy for National Security Science and Technology in February of this year, which seeks to promote the incorporation of 14 important advanced technologies. The UK has also announced its commitment to defense science and technology in 2022. Furthermore, Australia is making great efforts to adopt new technologies. In Japan, the Defense Technology Strategy has been formulated to strengthen advanced technologies. The conference will feature panelists from the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Japan. The panelists will discuss the state of technology policy in their countries as well as exchange opinions with the moderator and the audience.

In this session, panelists from each country will give a 10-minute presentation each on the following items,

１　What the aim of each country's policy on science and technology?

２　What technologies should be emphasized?

３　What is the policy on the early incorporation of such technology?

Specific measures to maintain and strengthening of an open and stable maritime order

Moderator: Kazuki Yamashita

• Pursuing "specific measures to maintain and strengthen an open and stable maritime order" to ensure freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region, which is an important issue for the security of Japan as a maritime nation.
• In view of the dynamically changing security environment surrounding the Indo-Pacific region, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's intensified military pressure on Taiwan, we closely monitor "Security in the Indo-Pacific", which is an important theme for realizing Japan's revised National Security Strategy, etc.
• Clarifying security issues in the Indo-Pacific region from the perspective of Western countries, sharing Japan's initiatives in the region and the challenges inherent in them, and discussing specific measures to resolve these issues.
• Pursuing the specific measures necessary to maintain and strengthen an open and stable maritime order by clarifying the current situation and problems in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly with regard to the maritime order, and sharing the security challenges inherent in the region.

What does the Russia's aggression against Ukraine tell us?

Moderator: Koichi Isobe

On February 24, 2022, with attentions from all over the world, Russian President, Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine under the name of “special military operations.” A permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and a nuclear power violated its sovereign neighbor, and the outrage destroyed the postwar international order in the 21st century. What does this fact tell us?

At the beginning, it was predicted that the overwhelmingly superior Russian military forces would occupy Kiev in one fell swoop, oust the Zelensky regime, and establish a pro-Russian government, but the vigorous fight by the Ukrainian army has frustrated the Russian offensive impulse, and the war is showing signs of protraction.

During this war, invisible and intense battles have been repeated in communication sphere, cyberspace and outer space, and the use of attack drones and precision-guided weapons has become normal in the battlefield.      On the other hand, gun battles or battles over positions, which are traditional types of warfare, are taking place on the front lines. How do we possibly understand these battles?

At this conference, general officers from Japan, the U.K., and the U.S. are invited to thoroughly discuss what lessons have been learned, through looking back on the past year, analyzing the war, and as well as what is important to deter conflict in a situation of increasingly intense Great Power Competitions in the future.