Japan’s Approach to Developing Countries – as a Proactive Contributor to Peace. Breakfast debate with Shinichi Kitaoka, President, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Practical information
Debate chaired by Thierry de Montbrial, Executive Chairman of Ifri.
By invitation only.
This event is aimed at Corporate Members of Ifri.
Working language: English.
Mr. Shinichi Kitaoka is President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Before assuming the present post, he was President of the International University of Japan.
Mr. Kitaoka's career includes Professor of National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) (2012-), Professor of Graduate Schools for Law and Politics, the University of Tokyo (1997-2004, 2006-2012), Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations (2004-2006), Professor of College of Law and Politics, Rikkyo University (1985-1997)
Mr. Kitaoka's specialty is modern Japanese politics and diplomacy. He obtained his B.A. (1971) and his Ph.D. (1976) both from the University of Tokyo. He is Emeritus Professor of the University of Tokyo.
He has numerous books and articles in Japanese and English including A Political History of Modern Japan: Foreign Relations and Domestic Politics (Tokyo: Yuhikaku, 2011), Political Dynamics of the United Nations: Where Does Japan Stand? (Tokyo: Chuokoron-Shinsha, 2007) and Japan as a Global Player (Tokyo: NTT Publishing, 2010)
He received many honors and awards including the Medal with Purple Ribbon for his academic achievements in 2011.
Other events
One Month Ahead of the Midterms: Where Is Trump’s America Headed?
The 24th edition of the Ifri Americas Programme Annual Conference will examine the dynamics at play in the United States and their implications for Europe and the transatlantic relationship. will examine the dynamics at play in the United States and their implications for Europe and the transatlantic relationship.
France-Ukraine Forum 2026
More than four and a half years after the start of the full-scale war launched by Russia against Ukraine, the 2026 France-Ukraine Forum will bring together policymakers, experts, academics, and civil society representatives from both countries to discuss three main topics: the formats and conditions for a lasting diplomatic settlement; Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration, encompassing both the EU accession process and closer ties with NATO; and the societal transformations of postwar Ukraine, as well as its prospects for reconstruction.
The EU in a World of Economic Warfare: Trade, Geopolitics, and the Battle for Economic Sovereignty
The international trading system has become a primary theatre of geopolitical competition. Tariffs, sanctions, and technology controls have replaced dialogue as the default instruments of economic relations.