In this public talk, Vice Admiral Ota will discuss pressing issues in Northeast Asian security, including current tensions surrounding North Korea, China’s military posture, territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas, and how Japan is preparing to deal with each of these matters.


Vice Admiral Fumio Ota is a former Director of Japan’s Defense Intelligence Headquarters, served in the Japanese navy for over 10 years as a Commanding Officer, and served as Defense and Naval Attaché at the Japanese Embassy in Washington. He was responsible for preparing Japan’s White Paper on its defense strategy in 1987 and while Director of Japan’s Defense Intelligence HQ was responsible for intelligence briefings to the Japanese prime minister. Vice Admiral Ota is a graduate of Japan’s National Defense Academy, and has a Ph.D. from John Hopkins University. He served as a professor at the National Defense Academy as well as Japan’s National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, and is currently serving as a planning committee member at the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals which supports the Japanese government with its national security strategies. He has authored more than 10 books in Japanese and English on Japan’s security and defenses.



This event is co-sponsored by the International Policy Center and Center for Japanese Studies.