EVENTS

As Japan heads towards a crucial Lower House election on 8 February 2026, its domestic politics will understandably be closely monitored and analysed, given the effects it may have in the region and beyond. Effective leadership is the need of the hour, not only for ensuring good governance amid mounting structural pressures, but also for navigating complex strategic challenges in an increasingly fluid geopolitical environment. Political stability and policy coherence will underpin Tokyo’s ability to reinforce the US alliance, advance bolder security reforms, and manage economic and strategic risks associated with China. This Wednesday Seminar presentation examines how domestic political dynamics condition Japan’s strategic choices at a moment of heightened Sino-US rivalry.

Speaker

Titli Basu is Associate Professor at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She is currently a Japan Foundation Indo-Pacific Fellow. Dr. Basu’s research interests include geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific, with special focus on East Asia and Japan. She was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organisation (IDE-JETRO) in 2025 and a Visiting Fellow at the National Institute for Defence Studies (Ministry of Defence), Japan in 2017. Previously, she worked as a Fellow at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA), Delhi.

Chair

Srabani Roy Choudhury is Professor of Japanese Studies at the Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Srabani Roy Choudhury was awarded “Commendation for Promotion of Japanese Studies” by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tokyo, Japan in 2024. Over three decades of professional engagement with Japan, she has been visiting scholar at Policy Research Institute (2011), Kobe University (2014), Nagoya University (2019), Keio University (2022), University of Navarra (2024). She has to her credit six edited volumes. They are Japan- SAARC Partnership: A Way Ahead (2014), India-Japan Relations @70: Building Beyond Bilateral (2022). The Indo-Pacific Theatre: Strategic Visions and Frameworks (2023), Japan and Its Partners in the Indo-Pacific: Engagements and Alignment (2023), India Japan Partnership: Abe the Game Changer (2024), India Japan and Beyond (2024). She is currently a research fellow of Japan Foundation Indo-Pacific Fellowship (2024-25).

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