Yuji Idomoto (UCSD), "The Military That Isn’t: Legalized Anti-Militarism and Limits of Japan’s Defense Policy"
2026-03-05 20:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
U.S. ET: March 5 (Thursday), 8 – 9 PM
JST: March 6 (Friday), 10 – 11 AM
Zoom Registration: Link
Paper: Idomoto paper
Author & Presenter: Yuji Idomoto
Abstract:
Japan’s postwar security identity has been defined by anti-militarism, rooted in Article 9 of the Constitution. Existing scholarship has examined its normative foundations, erosion under regional threats, and persistence despite incremental change, but has paid little attention to its legalized dimension—specifically, the formal designation of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) as an administrative organ rather than a military. This paper argues that the SDF’s legal status imposes distinctive operational constraints: it must function in a policing capacity during peacetime, requires explicit political authorization to engage in combat, and lacks standing rules of engagement and military codes. These limitations hinder crisis response, discipline, and coordination with allies. Drawing on underutilized Japanese-language sources, this study demonstrates how domestic legislation institutionalizes restraint, extending debates on anti-militarism and Japanese defense policy. More broadly, it shows how the legalization of domestic norms can profoundly shape foreign and defense policy.
Discussants: Thomas Berger (Boston University), Paul Midford (Meiji Gakuin University)
Chair: Amy Catalinac (New York University)

Christina Davis (Harvard University), "Shaping Trade Stability: WTO Rulings on Export Restrictions and Business Confidence in Supply Chains"
2026-04-09 20:00 - 21:00
US ET: April 9 (Thursday), 8 – 9 PM
JST: April 10 (Friday), 9 – 10 AM
Zoom Registration: Link
Paper: Link
Authors: Christina Davis (Harvard University), Jialu Li (independent researcher), and Sayumi Miyano (Osaka University)
Presenter: Christina Davis (Harvard University)
Abstract:
An effective international legal system resolves disputes and deters violations. Once the strongest area of international law, the WTO has been weakened by internal conflicts, trade wars, and supply chain disruptions. This paper examines whether WTO rulings still bolster confidence in the rules-based trade order, focusing on business perceptions of supply chain stability. Using a 2022 survey experiment of Japanese firm managers, we assess how WTO rulings shape expectations about trade reliability. Respondents were randomly assigned to receive varying information regarding a WTO ruling that found China’s export restrictions on raw materials violated WTO rules, modeled on an actual case. We analyze how legal rulings and policy changes affect confidence in securing input supplies and compare perceptions of China’s supply chains versus other countries. Results show that learning about a WTO ruling against China lowers confidence in China’s supply chain reliability. However, further learning about China’s compliance with the ruling significantly restores confidence—more than similar policy changes without multilateral enforcement. These findings suggest that while highlighting violations may weaken trust, compliance strengthens confidence in global trade stability.
Discussants: Gregory Shaffer (Georgetown University Law Center), Iain Osgood (University of Michigan)
Chair: Saori Katada (University of Southern California)

Sho Miyazaki (Waseda University), "Why Do AI Models Tell Left-Wing Voters to Support the Communist Party? AI Voting Advice in Japan’s 2026 General Election"
2026-05-21 20:00 - 21:00
US ET: May 21 (Thursday), 8 – 9 PM
JST: May 22 (Friday), 9 – 10 AM
Zoom Registration: Link
Paper: to be posted.
Authors: Sho Miyazaki (Waseda University), Andrew B. Hall (Stanford University)
Presenter: Sho Miyazaki (Waseda University)
Abstract:
Al chatbots with web search are increasingly used for voting guidance, yet we know relatively little about their recommendation behavior outside the US. We query five models from three companies with 36,300 synthetic voter profiles during Japan’s 2026 Lower House election, plus a follow-up with today’s four frontier models. Policy stances dominate recommendations, producing 50-98 percentage point swings compared to 0.5-7.0 pp for demographics. Strikingly, left-leaning stances cause all five models to converge on Japan’s Communist Party, despite other parties holding similar positions on the relevant issues. We trace this to the information environment: JCP operates a fully open website with a party newspaper that models freely access and frequently misclassify as independent journalism, while major Japanese news outlets block Al crawlers. Without policy input, models show no uniform left-wing bias. Incorporating X search shifts recommendations modestly leftward, contradicting US-centric expectations. These findings suggest that Al models need better source discrimination in non-US contexts, and that news organizations blocking Al access may inadvertently cede influence over Al-mediated voting advice to partisan sources that remain open.
Discussants: Kentaro Fukumoto (University of Tokyo), Kenneth McElwain (University of Tokyo)
Chair: Yusaku Horiuchi (Florida State University)
