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July 29th 2009

Abe Fellowship Colloquium - "The Effects of Institutional Change on Japanese Nuclear Policies"

A growing chorus of American analysts contend that Japan's longstanding nuclear policies may be on the verge of radical change. Not so, countered Abe Fellow Jacques Hymans (2007) at an Abe Fellowship colloquium on "The Effects of Institutional Change on Japanese Nuclear Policies" at the Japan Foundation, Tokyo, July 29. While some Japan watchers argue that not only will Japan continue to build a "plutonium economy" based on fuel reprocessing and fast breeder reactions but may soon decide to acquire nuclear weapons. Hymans research on Japan's new nuclear policy regime, however, shows that the current institutional configuration is no more permissive of radical departures than the old one was. Toshiya Kitayama, Kwansei Gakuin University, was the discussant and Tatsujiro Suzuki, University of Tokyo, moderated the program. The colloquium was jointly sponsored by the Social Science Research Council Tokyo Office and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.

Location: The Japan Foundation, Tokyo http://www.jpf.go.jp/j/about_j/access03.html