At the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, GRIPS President Akihiko Tanaka visited Russia and Kazakhstan from February 6-11, 2020, to give lectures on the current political situation in East Asia and the development of economic cooperation among the countries of the region. He focused on the main directions of Japan’s foreign policy and stressed the need to strengthen relations between East Asian countries and Japan.

Each lecture attracted numerous researchers, students, and representatives of the Moscow diplomatic corps. There were many questions from the audience; President Tanaka answered them in careful detail.

●Russia

Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (Left) / Valdai Discussion Club (Right)

Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) (Left, Right)

●Kazakhstan

Republic of Kazakhstan Agency for Civil Service Affairs (Left) / Nazarbayev University (Right)

During his tour, President Tanaka also met with alumni and got updated on their current careers. Nine of them joined him over lunch in Nursultan and he was happy to hear all of them are pursuing successful careers in areas ranging from climate policies and green technologies, to agriculture, machinery and financial services. This was also a great opportunity for them to revive their friendships and share their precious GRIPS memories.

Reports and interviews from the visit are featured in the following online articles.

Civil Service Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan

(Meeting with Mr. Anar Zhailganova, Chairperson of the Civil Service Agency)

Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan

(Lecture)

KAZINFORM, national news agency of Kazakhstan

(interview)