Seminar: Navigating Asia Asia–Arctic Relations in Times of Global Uncertainty
Seminar "Navigating Asia: Asia-Arctic Relations in Times of Global Uncertainty" will take place on 24 September 2026 at the Hokkaido University Arctic Research Center and online.
The hybrid event brings together partners from the Hokkaido University Arctic Research Center, the JSPS-Research Council of Finland project "The Russian Invasion of Ukraine Impacting Actions and Visions of Japan and Finland in the Arctic", the UArctic Thematic Network on Arctic in Asia, Asia in the Arctic, The Asia-Arctic Network for Research and Education, and the ArCS3 Governance Group (Subgroup 2). Participants are welcome to join either in person or online.
This seminar brings together scholars and experts to explore the evolving connections between Asian ac-
tors and the Arctic amid profound geopolitical and institutional change. The seminar examines how Asian
states are engaging with Arctic governance and institutions, and how developments in the region are re-
shaping established patterns of cooperation, competition, and connectivity. By bringing together different
perspectives on governance, geopolitics, law, and international cooperation, the seminar seeks to illumi-
nate the increasingly complex entanglements between Asia and the Arctic and to consider how these rela-
tionships may evolve in an uncertain global environment.
Timing: (Thu) 24 September 2026, 15:00 00-17:30 JST
Format: Hybrid (Online participation: https://meet.google.com/hvp hvp-iaddiadd-eyd)
Program:
15:00-15:05 Short opening: Juha Saunavaara
15:05-15:20 Marc Lanteigne: "Geography Isn t Everything: China s Arctic 2.0 Strategies and Regional Response ” (Online)
15:20-15:35 Medy Dervovic: “International Law as a Reliable Pathway for Asian States in Arctic Governance?”
15:35-15:50 Marco Volpe: “From myth to mechanism: Can CAOFA recast Arctic exceptionalism?”
15:50-16:10 Q&A
16:10-16:15 Short break
16:15-16:30 Marina Lomaeva: “Russia’s Arctic Cooperation after 2022: China, India, the Northern Sea Route and Greater Eurasian Connectivity”
16:30-16:45 Pavel Tkach: “Current Developments in the Russian Arctic law - amendments to the Strategy for the Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2035 and further perspective up to year 2050.”
16:45-17:00 Yeonji Ghim: “Corporate Agency in the Arctic: South Korean Shipyards and Russian Oil” (Online)
17:00-17:20 Q&A
17:20-17:30 General discussion, announcements and closing remarks