Information
- Time and Date: 13:00-17:50 (JST), Tuesday, December 16, 2025
- Venue: IINO Hall ＆ CONFERENCE CENTER＋Online (Live Stream)
(4F IINO BUILDING, 2-1-1 Uchisaiwai-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) - Host: Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI)
- Co-hosts: Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security（JOGMEC) / Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO)
Handouts
Opening Remarks
FUKAO Kyoji (Chairman, RIETI / University Professor IER, Hitotsubashi University)
Kyoji Fukao is Chairman of the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI), and University Professor at the Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University. Other positions include: Member of the Executive Committee of the Asian Historical Economics Society (AHES); Adviser, Maddison Project, University of Groningen. He has published widely on productivity, international economics, economic history, and related topics in journals such as the Journal of Political Economy, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Review of Income and Wealth, Explorations in Economic History, and Economica. Professor Fukao received his M.A. in Economics from the University of Tokyo.
TAKAHARA Ichiro (Chairman & CEO, JOGMEC)
April 2023 Chairman & CEO, JOGMEC (Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security) June 2020 Vice Chairman, Member of the Board, Marubeni Corporation June 2019 Senior Executive Vice President, Member of the Board, Marubeni Corporation June 2014 Managing Executive Officer, Member of the Board, Marubeni Corporation October 2013 Joined Marubeni Corporation as Corporate Advisor September 2011 Commissioner, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy(METI) July 2010 Commissioner, Small and Medium Enterprise Agency(METI) July 2009 Director-General, Kanto Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry(METI) April 2004 Director, Budget and Accounts Division, Minister’s Secretariat(METI) April 1979 Joined METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)
IMAIZUMI Shinya (Executive Vice President, IDE-JETRO)
Born in 1967
Education
1990 LLB. Faculty of Law, Waseda University, Japan
1992 LLM. Graduate School of Law, Waseda University, Japan
Working Experience
1992 Join the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE) (IDE-JETRO since 1998)
1996-1998 IDE’s Overseas Research Fellow (Faculty of Law, Thammasat University, Thailand).
2007-2009 IDE’s Overseas Research Fellow (College of Law, University of Washington, USA)
2012 Director, Research Planning Division, Research Planning Department, IDE-JETRO.
2015 Senio Research Fellow, Inter-Disciplinary Studies Center, IDE-JETRO.
2020 Director, Global Studies Group, Inter-Disciplinary Studies Center, IDE-JETRO.
2024 Director-General, Inter-Disciplinary Studies Center, IDE-JETRO
2025 Executive Vice President, JETRO (in charge of the IDE).
Session 1: How can we mitigate supply chain risk?
Presenters (Order of appearance)
Stéphane Bourg joined the French Geological Survey BRGM in 2022 to take the Direction of the French Observatory of Mineral Resources for industrial sectors (Ofremi). The Ofremi informs the French goverment and the French strategic industry sectors on the complexity of supply chains and supports them in decision making for securing their supply Before this, he worked 23 years at the French alternative and atomic energy commission (CEA) , involved for more than ten years on the issue of critical raw materials and their supply chains, he has led the European expert network on critical raw materials (SCRREEN) supporting European Commission on the criticality assessment since 2016.
Siyamend AL BARAZI (Head of Unit – Mineral Economics – German Mineral Resources Agency, DERA)
Siyamend Al Barazi is head of the unit Mineral Economics at DERA since 2021. He is responsible for DERA's raw materials monitoring, which includes screening of supply, demand and prices as well as market analyses of individual commodities. DERA provides information and analyses on potential price and supply risks for selected raw materials. The main goal is to increase market transparency for the German industry.
Simon WEIMER (Senior Manager, Raw Material Strategy and Risk Management, BMW Group)
Simon Weimer works in the BMW Group's Raw Materials Strategy and Risk Management department. The aim of this unit is to establish competitive, resilient and responsible raw materials supply chains. He is responsible for developing strategic approaches that combine global risks, regulatory requirements and sustainability goals.
Before joining BMW, Simon Weimer worked for the Federation of German Industries (BDI). With his expertise in raw materials policy and strategic risk management, Simon Weimer contributes to making global raw materials supply chains responsible and sustainable.
Session Chair
HASHIMOTO Satoshi (Deputy Director General, JOGMEC)
Satoshi Hashimoto is Deputy Director General, Metals Strategy Department of JOGMEC, where he drives de-risk policy implementation on support supply chain of critical minerals and dedicates to support diversification of Japanese companies’ procurement.
Recently, he has responsible for international cooperation, management of invested projects, and leading the initial study for traceability on critical minerals in JOGMEC.
Before the current position, he was several positions in consulting firms and has experience of several positions at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), especially related to critical minerals.
Session 2: Firm-level data analysis on supply chain vulnerabilities
Presenters (Order of appearance)
KAWAKUBO Takafumi (Fellow (Specially Appointed), RIETI / Assistant Professor, The University of Osaka)
Takafumi Kawakubo is an Assistant Professor at The University of Osaka and a Fellow at RIETI. He is an expert on international trade, supply chains and firm dynamics. He has been working on granular firm-level supply chain datasets from Japan and several other countries. He has just launched his new project at the RIETI, titled as “Economic Security and Supply Chain Vulnerability.”
He obtained a Ph.D. in Economics from London School of Economics (LSE) and an M.A. in Economics from The University of Tokyo. Before joining The University of Osaka, he was a Research Associate at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research and a Project Assistant Professor at The University of Tokyo.
His work on management and forecasting by UK firms has been recently accepted at the Review of Economics and Statistics.
Steffen MUELLER (Professor of Economics and Head of Department for Structural Change and Productivity, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH), GERMANY)
Steffen Müller is Professor of Economics at Magdeburg University and Head of the Department of Structural Change and Productivity at the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH). He advises federal and state ministries on labor and energy shortages, and social policy. His research focuses on labor economics, productivity growth, and economic inequality with a focus on technological and structural change. His work has appeared e.g. in the Economic Journal, Journal of the European Economic Association, Journal of Labor Economics, and Journal of Public Economics. Steffen earned his doctorate and habilitation in economics and econometrics at the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg and conducted extended research stays at the University of California, Berkeley and Davis.
Discussant
Chad P. BOWN (Reginald Jones Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE))
Chad P. Bown is the Reginald Jones Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, DC and host of the Trade Talks podcast. He has undertaken public service for two U.S. administrations, most recently serving as Chief Economist in the U.S. Department of State in the Biden-Harris administration. He was also a Senior Economist in the White House for President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers. He has worked in research at the WTO Secretariat in Geneva, and he was also a Lead Economist at the World Bank. Bown is formerly a tenured Professor of Economics at Brandeis University, where he was on the faculty for twelve years. His new book with Soumaya Keynes is HOW TO WIN A TRADE WAR (Simon & Schuster, 2026). He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Wisconsin.
Session Chair
ITO Keiko (Professor, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Chiba University)
Keiko Ito is a Professor at the Graduate School of Social Sciences, Chiba University and a Project Member at RIETI. Prior to her current position, she taught at Chuo University (2018-2022) and at Senshu University (2004-2018). She also served as staff-on-loan at the OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation, a visiting fellow at the Center on Japanese Economy and Business, Columbia University, and a research assistant professor at the International Centre for the Study of East Asian Development, currently called the Asian Growth Research Institute. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from Hitotsubashi University, Japan. Her research interests are on the empirical analysis on international trade and foreign direct investment, and industry and firm-level productivity analysis. She has published in journals such as Research Policy, Review of World Economics, The World Economy, and Journal of the Japanese and International Economies. She has served as a member of various government councils and committees, including advisory councils of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Session 3: Analysis of supply chain vulnerabilities using world input-output tables and trade data
Presenters (Order of appearance)
Richard BALDWIN (Non-Resident Fellow, RIETI / Professor of International Business, International Institute for Management Development (IMD))
Richard Baldwin is a Non-resident fellow at RIETI, a Professor of International Economics at the IMD Business School in Lausanne, and the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the policy portal VoxEU.org. He publishes widely on topics related to trade, regionalism, and globalization. He is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He regularly advises governments and international organizations on globalization and trade policy issues. Before moving to Switzerland in 1991, he was a Senior Staff Economist for the President's Council of Economic Advisors in the Bush White House (1990-1991) following trade matters such as the Uruguay Round and NAFTA negotiations as well as numerous US-Japan trade conflicts. He has been an adviser and consultant to many international organizations and governments. He did his Ph.D. in Economics at MIT with Paul Krugman and has published a half dozen articles with him. Before that he earned an M.Sc. at LSE (1980-81), and a B.A. at UW-Madison (1976-1980). His most recent book is The Globotics Upheaval: Globalization, Robotics and the Future of Work, has been translated into Japanese.
ISONO Ikumo (Director, Economic Integration Studies Group, Development Studies Center, IDE-JETRO)
Ikumo Isono received his bachelor's degree in economics from Saitama University in 1998 and a master's degree in economics from the University of Tokyo in 2000. He joined the Institute of Developing Economies, JETRO (IDE-JETRO) in 2005 as a research fellow. From 2009 to 2011, he was based at the Bangkok Research Center, JETRO, as a research fellow. He was seconded to the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) as an economist from 2011 to 2013, and again from 2020 to 2024 as a senior economist. From 2017 to 2018, he served as a visiting researcher at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC-Seville). In 2024, he was appointed Director of the Economic Geography Studies Group at IDE-JETRO, followed by his appointment as Director of the Economic Integration Studies Group in 2025.
His areas of expertise include spatial economics and the connectivity aspects of economic integration in ASEAN and East Asia. His work covers infrastructure development, economic corridors, logistics, trade and transport facilitation, free trade agreements (FTAs), and digital connectivity.
Angela GLOWACKI (Policy Analyst, Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET))
Angela Glowacki is a policy analyst with the Energy Security and Climate Resilience Research Program at DSET, where she examines how shifting geopolitical dynamics shape energy systems in the Asia-Pacific. Originally from Wisconsin, USA, she studies regional energy security and the strategic implications of clean energy transitions for democracies. Her current projects include supply chain resilience for next-generation battery technologies She also maintains broader research interests in the sustainability and governance of critical mineral extraction and LNG infrastructure and procurement mechanisms. Angela holds an MA in Asia-Pacific Studies from National Chengchi University and a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she double-majored in Community & Nonprofit Leadership and Chinese.
Discussant
KIM Byung-Yeon (Distinguished Professor in the Department of Economics, Seoul National University)
Byung-Yeon Kim is Distinguished Professor in Department of Economics, Seoul National University (SNU). His research interests lie in the fields of transition economics, in particular with reference to North Korea as well as former socialist countries. He published a number of articles and books including "Unveiling the North Korean Economy" (Cambridge University Press, 2017). He has been recently awarded with Academic Award of National Academy of Sciences of Rep. of Korea (2018) and SNU Prize for Distinguished Researcher (2018). He has been serving as a member of various government committees. He had served as Founding Director of Institute for Future Strategy, a think tank established at Seoul National University. He is a regular columnist in a major S. Korean newspaper mostly on North Korean issues and geopolitical economy.
Session Chair
TAMURA Akihiko (Senior Adviser, RIETI / Director General JETRO Paris)
Akihiko Tamura has been Senior Advisor of RIETI (Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan) since November 2023 and Director General of the JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) Paris Office since August 2023.
Prior to being posted in Paris, he was Councillor for TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), Cabinet Secretariat, the Government of Japan. He spent more than 30 years at METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan) serving, among others, as Director-General for Trade Policy, Chief Negotiator for RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), Deputy Director-General for Trade Policy, Councillor for APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation), Director for DDA (WTO Doha Development Agenda) NAMA (non agricultural market access) and Environmental Goods negotiations.
Aki was also Legal Officer of Legal Division, WTO and First Secretary at the Embassy of Japan to the United States. He also worked in Beijing as General Manager at Japan-China Economic Association. Moreover, he used to be Professor of National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) and Visiting Fellow of Law Faculty, University of Hong Kong.
Aki earned a Bachelor of law (LL.B.) from the University of Tokyo, a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School and a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) from George Washington University Law School.
Session 4: China and East Asia
Presenters (Order of appearance)
ITO Asei (Associate Professor, Institute of Social Science, The University of Tokyo)
Asei Ito is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Social Science at the University of Tokyo. He obtained his Ph.D. in Economics from the Graduate School of Economics, Keio University. His research covers various topics related to the Chinese economy including industrial development, outward FDI activities, innovation, and the political economy.
Joris TEER (Research Analyst for Economic Security and Technology, European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) and Senior Advisor at the Chips Diplomacy Support Initiative (CHIPDIPLO))
Joris Teer is the Research Analyst leading the portfolio on economic security and technology at the EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS). On behalf of EUISS, he is a Senior Advisor to the Chips Diplomacy Support Initiative (CHIPDIPLO), an 18-month project aiming to help structure Europe’s semiconductor foreign policy through research, thinktank-industry dialogues, and other activities. CHIPDIPLO is executed by four European thinktanks and co-funded by the European Union. Prior to joining EUISS, Joris was a China and strategic foresight analyst at the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS), focusing on the dilemmas of deep economic interdependence at a time of great power rivalry.
Joris co-initiated HCSS Boardroom, an initiative to make the strategies of industry and investors more geopolitically shock resistant. He has lead-authored research reports on these topics for the Dutch Ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs, and Economic Affairs, the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, and the European Union.
Discussant
Alex BRISTOW (Senior Analyst – Cyber, Technology and Security Program, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI))
Alex Bristow is a Senior Analyst in ASPI’s Cyber, Technology and Security Program. His work focuses on building the resilience of Australia and its allies and partners against coercive statecraft and hybrid threats. He is head of ASPI’s Road to Resilience project.
Alex has over 20 years of experience in the study and practice of national security and international relations, including over a decade working for the UK Government in Beijing, Canberra and London. Outside government, Alex has worked for a range of consultancies, think tanks and political offices in Australia, Japan, the UK and the United States.
Alex has published widely with ASPI, international periodicals and the media. Examples of his recent work include a chapter about Australia’s approach to nuclear deterrence in ASPI’s Agenda for Change (2025), and a study of the UK’s role in a Taiwan contingency, published in Asia Policy, Vol. 19. No. 2 (2024).
Alex’s D.Phil from Oxford University applied two-level game theory to the US-Japan security alliance, especially summit diplomacy, the handling of Okinawa, and declassified agreements about nuclear weapons. He was Jane Eliza Procter Fellow at Princeton University and researched at Tokyo University with support from the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. He has language skills in Mandarin and Japanese.
Session Chair
Richard BALDWIN (Non-Resident Fellow, RIETI / Professor of International Business, International Institute for Management Development (IMD))
Closing Remarks
TODO Yasuyuki (Faculty Fellow and Program Director, RIETI / Professor, Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University)
Yasuyuki Todo, a Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University, has been a Professor at the Graduate School of Economics, Waseda University since 2014, after serving as the Department Head at the Department of International Studies, the University of Tokyo. He is also a Program Director at the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry. His research fields are empirical international economics and development economics, currently focusing on supply chains and economic security. He has published more than 70 academic papers in refereed journals including Nature Sustainability, the Journal of Industrial Economics, Research Policy, and World Development. He is ranked top 0.5% and 0.4% among researchers in economics and supply chain analysis, respectively, based on academic publications in the recent 5 years, according to ScholarGPS.
TOMIURA Eiichi (President and Chief Research Officer (CRO), RIETI / Dean, Faculty of Data Science, Otsuma Women's University)
Eiichi Tomiura is President President and CRO of RIETI since April 2024. He is also Dean, Faculty of Data Science, Otsuma Women's University. Prior to his current position, he was formerly Professor of Economics at Hitotsubashi University and Dean, College of Economics at Yokohama National University. He was also served for Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Government of Japan till 2000.
He earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992 and his B.A. in Economics from University of Tokyo in 1984. His research expertise is in empirical international trade, especially offshore outsourcing with firm-level data. His articles have been published in many journals including Journal of International Economics, Review of International Economics, and Regional Science and Urban Economics. He has received Economist Award, Nikkei Prize, and Kojima Kiyoshi Prize in Japan.
