A range of actors threaten the rule of law at sea in the Indo-Pacific region. By doing so they undermine political stability, endanger use of international waters to support commerce, and interfere with coastal states’ legitimate governance activities. The results directly threaten the economic prosperity and future security of the region.
On 28 September 2021, RSIS and the Embassy of Japan in Singapore assembled a panel of experts to discuss these dynamics from the perspectives of international law, domestic legislation, balance of power, and the contributions to rule of law by the United States, Japan and Southeast Asian states.
Mr John Bradford, Senior Fellow at the RSIS Maritime Security Programme, approached these issues from the perspective of strategic studies, discussing the relative advantages among extra-regional powers seeking to assist with addressing the challenges. Dr Makoto Seta, Associate Professor of International Law at Japan’s Yokohama City University, took a more legalistic approach, discussing the tensions between elements of domestic and international law. Dr Benjamin San Jose, Assistant Professor of Japanese Studies and Political Science at Ateneo de Manila University, focused on Japan’s foreign policy, calling for an expansion of the country’s public diplomacy efforts.
Catch it here on the RSISVideoCast YouTube channel:
