Mihoko kato

Education:

2011 Ph.D., History and Area Studies, Hokkaido University
2005 M.A., History and Area Studies, Hokkaido University
2001 B.A., Russian and East European Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies

Field of Study:

I have been studying Russia’s foreign policy toward the Asia-Pacific region in the post-Cold War period from the perspectives of multilateral and bilateral relations. During my M.A., I began examining the Soviet Union and Russia’s policy and negotiation process to participate in the Asia-Pacific regional cooperation framework (ASEAN, APEC) both in the field of security and economy. This work developed into my Ph.D. thesis, which explored the characteristics of Russia’s multilateralism and its relations with aspirations for a multipolar world order. In particular, I focused on the role of Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia in the global/regional order that Russia has sought. In recent years, my interests have expanded into three topics: 1) Russia’s relations with China, Japan, North Korea, and Vietnam from the perspective of Sinocentrism and/or diversification; 2) Security policy and the related organizations, and; 3) Russia’s use of sovereignty in the Putin era.
Since April 2016, I have been with the SRC working as the project manager of an NIHU transdisciplinary project for Northeast Asia.

Recent Publications (Selected):

Monographs:

Russia in the Asia-Pacific Region: Seeking a New International Order after the end of the Cold War and Multilateralism. Sapporo: Hokkaido University Press, 2014. (in Japanese)

Journal Articles:

"Competing Sovereignties: Increasing Tensions over Maritime Border in Northeast Asia,"Pathways to Peace and Security, Vol. 58, No. 1, pp. 63-77.
‘Sinocentrism’ in Russia’s Reorientation to the East: Re-examining Russian Foreign Policy under the Third Putin Administration (2012 – 2018),” Chung-Ang Saron, No. 49, 2019, pp. 115-154.
“Regional Order and ‘Pacific Russia’,” Kanagawa University Asian Review, vol. 6, pp. 50-58, 2019. (in Japanese)
“Japan-Russia Relationship and in the Three Successive Waves of the Russian Pivot to Asia,” Eurasia Studies, vol. 59, pp. 17-22, 2018. (in Japanese)
“The Dilemma of Sinocentrism in Russia’s Reorientation to the East.” Journal of World Affairs, vol. 65, no. 5, pp. 56–68, 2017. (in Japanese)
Особенность и задачи развития Российско-Вьетнамского стратегического партнерства (2000–2014 гг.). // Вьетнамские исследования. №. 5. С. 55–72. 2015.
“Japan and Russia at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century: New Dimension to Maritime Security Surrounding the “Kuril Islands”.” UNISCI Discussion Papers, no. 32, pp. 205–213, 2013.
“Opportunities and Challenges in the Putin’s Asia-Pacific Policy: From the Perspective of the U.S.-China-Russia Triangular Relations.” Russian and East European Studies, no. 41, pp. 28–44, 2012. (in Japanese)
“Russia’s Foreign Policy toward the Asia-Pacific Region: Cooperation and Competition in a Partnership with Rising China.” Journal of International Security, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 46–62, 2011. (in Japanese)
Участие и роль России в Азиатско-тихоокеанском экономическом сотрудничестве (АТЭС) // Дипломатическая служба. №.5. С.20–26. 2009.
“Russia’s Multilateral Diplomacy in the Process of Asia Pacific Regional Integration: The Significance of ASEAN for Russia.”. In Akihiro Iwashita, ed., Eager Eyes Fixed on Slavic Eurasia 2, Sapporo: Slavic Research Center, pp. 125–151, 2007.

Courses Taught:

- International Relations in Northeast Asia
- Introduction to International Relations
- Contemporary East Asian Studies
- Slavic Society and Culture

Grants and Fellowships:

- Russia’s Asia Policy after the Annexation of Crimea: Sinocentrism and/or Diversification (JSPS Grants-in-Aid for Young Scientists B, 2017–2020)
- Russia’s Asia-Pacific Policy since 2000: from the Perspective of Response to Rising China (JSPS Grants-in-Aid for Young Scientists (Startup), 2011–2012)
- JSPS International Training Program Fellow (St. Antony’s College, Oxford, 2011)
- Pacific Russia: from a China-First Approach to Multi-Vector Diplomacy towards Neighboring Asian Countries (JSPS Grants-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows PD, 2014–2015)
- Russia’s Multilateral Diplomacy and Asia-Pacific Regionalism in the Post-Cold War Era (Grants-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows DC2, 2007–2008)
- Russia’s Participation in the Asia-Pacific Regionalism: Analysis of the Russia-ASEAN Diplomatic Relations (Konosuke Matsushita Memorial Foundation Research Grant, 2006)

Professional Service:

- Book Review Editor, International Relations (2018–present)