At the 131st GRIPS Forum on December 7, 2016, Dr. Narushige Michishita, Professor of GRIPS, gave a lecture titled “North Korea’s Nuclear and Missile Diplomacy: Where is it Going and What Can We Do about it?”.

Please click here to see the video of the Forum.

Abstract

North Korea appears to have acquired “usable” miniaturized nuclear weapons. Also, it has actively tested ballistic missiles capable of reaching South Korea, Japan, Guam and possibly Hawaii and the US mainland. Faced with this growing threat, South Korea has accepted the US plan to deploy the THAAD missile defense system on its soil. Japan is also strengthening its missile and civil defense capabilities. However, there is a limit to what missile defense systems can do and what economic sanctions can achieve. With a new president coming into office in the United States next year, some policymakers and analysts are calling for renewed dialogue with Pyongyang. 

Speakers’ Profile:

Previous position:

Senior Research Fellow, National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS), Japan Ministry of Defense

Assistant Counsellor, Cabinet Secretariat for Security and Crisis Management, Government of Japan

Education:

Ph.D. with distinction, International Relations (Asian Studies), The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University, USA, 2003

M.A., International Relations (Strategic Studies) and International Economics, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University, USA, 1994

B.A., International Relations, College of International Relations, University of Tsukuba, Japan, 1990

Graduated, Korean Language Institute, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea, 1988