Elucidating the Complex Dynamics of Arctic Politics and Its Contribution to Japan’s Arctic Policy
Research Background
This project aims not only to conduct research, but also to link the results to social implementation, and this Research Program was also established through a series of dialogues among researchers specializing in international relations to establish a social implementation and research theme that contribute to it.
Changes in the natural environment due to climate change are creating various social challenges for people living in the Arctic, and effective implementation of policies that contribute to solving social issues while adapting to changes in the natural environment is urgently needed. The Arctic warming, which is progressing at a rate more than three times faster than the global average, is largely due to human activities in the large industrial cities located in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, and there is a global need to recognize the Arctic as a global issue, not just a local issue. The role of Japan’s Arctic research is to contribute to the implementation of adaptation measures needed by the people living in the Arctic with academic knowledge, while taking into account the demands of the international community.
The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability (ArCS) project, which ran from 2015-2020, aimed to communicate research results appropriately to stakeholders and actively engaged them in international discussions; Research results of ArCS have been input into Arctic Council (AC) working groups and have certainly contributed to AC activities. However, the policy discussions required by the AC have not been well shared within Japanese society and the Arctic research community. Furthermore, there is much room for Japan's expertise in development assistance cultivated at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the advanced Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) initiatives of Japanese local governments and industries to be utilized in adaptation measures and problem solving in the Arctic. However, there was no structure in the ArCS to effectively match such initiatives and related knowledge with solutions to Arctic issues.
Initiatives Related to Social Implementation
In order to further accelerate the efforts in the ArCS and lead to more extensive and effective social implementation, this Research Program, in collaboration with the Policy Dialogue Coordinator of the project, aimed to establish a structure for a more systematic understanding of the scientific knowledge needed in the AC. In addition, with the aim of uncovering potential stakeholders with the know-how needed to resolve issues in the Arctic, we established the "Arctic Transdisciplinary Community of Practice" was established with the aim of helping professionals from industry, government, and academia across disciplines understand each other, engage in dialogue about their experiences and challenges, and resolve issues.
A Comprehensive Understanding of the Increasingly Complex Politics of the Arctic
On the other hand, there is a perspective that is necessary for Japan to be involved in adaptation measures and social implementation/problem solving in the Arctic. This is the recognition that involvement in Arctic problem-solving means direct or indirect involvement with the diverse interests of the Arctic. In the Arctic, there are diverse interests rooted in values such as indigenous knowledge and traditional knowledge. Arctic "politics" has been a process of dialogue and coordination among a variety of actors/stakeholders, including national authorities, local authorities, commercial and non-profit organizations, civil and indigenous groups, scientists, and individuals. The Arctic politics has become more complex with the increase in the number of actors/stakeholders as more non-Arctic countries have entered the Arctic since the 2000s. Research to understand the complex political processes in the Arctic is essential for serious efforts and results in social implementation in the Arctic. Engaging in social implementation without knowledge of the political situation in the Arctic may lead to Japan's unwitting commitment to certain interests, which may lead to unnecessary distrust. Therefore, efforts to comprehensively understand the complex Arctic political process are necessary. With the aim of improving the comprehensive understanding of the increasingly complex Arctic politics, this Research Program conducted empirical research focusing on the following actors for analysis: the state (Sub Program 1), corporations (Sub Program 2), indigenous peoples (Sub Program 3), and local governments (Sub Program 4), respectively.
Policy-Oriented Research Contributing to Japan's Arctic Policy
Further more, this Research Program has also included studies using policy analysis and economics methods to examine how Japan can take the necessary actions for the sustainable use of the Arctic so that it can demonstrate its leadership in various Arctic policy issues.
First, by clarifying the motivations behind Japan's involvement in the Arctic, the values behind such involvement, the benefits to be gained from Japan's involvement, and the historical interests of the Japanese people, and by deepening our understanding of the formation and evolution of national understanding and identity regarding the Arctic, we can clarify Japan's interests and position and contribute to making Japan a more internationally trusted entity (Sub Program 5).
Second, we have conducted persuasive policy research using economic methods to contribute to Japan's leadership in strategically important policy issues such as black carbon (BC), ecosystem service valuation, ocean plastics, and clean energy. Through these political science research and social implementation, we have been working to achieve more effective solutions to Arctic issues by more Japanese stakeholders (Sub Program 6).
Summary
In this Research Program, we conducted empirical and policy-oriented research in six Sub Programs to contribute to the comprehensive clarification of the increasingly complex Arctic politics and to Japan's Arctic policy. In addition, we organized several sessions at the Arctic Circle Japan Forum and the 7th International Symposium on Arctic Research (ISAR-7) held in March 2023, and also organized a special program on Arctic research at the 2023 conference of the Japanese Association For Northern European Studies held in Japan in November 2023. In addition, as an outreach program for the results of our Research Program, we invited lecturers from Japan and abroad on topics of particular importance, and held 11 seminars for the general public (ArCS II International Relations Seminar), which have been reported on by NHK and other domestic and international media. In addition, in the book, "Arctic research ‐its current status and future plans‐", chapter 4.1 “Politics” was assigned to the researchers of this Research Program, who contributed an essay that serves as an interim report on related Sub Programs as international relations (nation-state), civil relations (nation-state - indigenous peoples), and interregional relations (nation-state - local governments).
In our comprehensive understanding of increasingly complex Arctic politics, we have conducted empirical research focusing on states, corporations, indigenous peoples, and local governments, respectively. However, we have concluded that it is too early to attempt modeling, and that further empirical research is needed, given the extremely diverse nature of the Arctic and the highly dynamic nature of politics at each level.
In terms of policy research, we have conducted research to elucidate the relationship between Japan and the Arctic from a social dimension, as well as research on BC emission reductions as a policy issue from an economic approach. These policy studies are areas where little research has been accumulated globally, and it is hoped that similar research will continue in the future.
We have also conducted several joint research with other Research Programs in each Sub Program, and under the Strategic Goal 4 "Legal/Policy Response and Research Implementation for a Sustainable Arctic," we published a policy brief on Japan's Arctic policy and recommendations for the future in March 2025, approximately 10 years after the publication of Japan's Arctic policy, in collaboration with the Research Program on International Law.
