3 Role of Intellectuals in Diplomacy

In building a future international order in the drastically changing world, it is becoming more apparent that experts from the private sector can take the initiative in freely conducting policy discussions on a global scale without being bound by the official views of governments, which in return have an impact on the world's opinion, as well as on the policy decisions of each government.

Some of the examples include the World Economic Forum (Davos), which has a large influence on the international economic policies of each country, and the Shangri-La Dialogue, which provides prominent experts and ministers of the world with an opportunity to discuss Asian security issues. There is an ever increasing importance to develop human resources of think tanks (study and research institutions) to take part in such discussion arenas and to utilize experts of universities and other organizations in major countries.

Expanding the intellectual base for Japan's diplomacy and security and promoting diplomacy that involves a broad range of people is expected to yield improved diplomatic capabilities over the medium- to long-term. Under this premise, MOFA launched a subsidy scheme for study/research on foreign policy and security which aims to enhance think tanks' abilities to collect/analyze/release information and to make policy recommendations. In addition, since FY2017, MOFA has also launched a subsidized support project for territory, sovereignty, and history studies.