On Monday 31st October 2022, the Japan-Sweden Society held a panel discussion on Sweden’s NATO membership jointly with the University of Tokyo at the Komaba Campus. The discussion featured two distinguished experts in the field: Professor Linus Hagström from the Department of Political Science and Law at the Swedish Defence University and Lector Ken Shimizu from the College of Law and Politics at Rikkyo University. The event was moderated by Seiji Morimoto, a board member of the Society. Participation in the discussion was also available via Zoom.
Each panelist presented his analysis of the security environment surrounding Sweden and the Nordic region from their respective perspectives in Europe and Asia. It was pointed out that there had already been an increasing security threat to Sweden and that there has been growing support among citizens for Sweden’s participation in NATO. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 gave Sweden the final push to apply for NATO membership.
During the discussion, it was noted that Sweden’s NATO participation would contribute to strengthening NATO’s security capabilities. However, it might also lead to a more confrontational posture with Russia, potentially deteriorating the security environment in the Nordic region as a whole.
The panel provided an excellent opportunity for participants to deepen their knowledge about the security environments in Sweden and the Nordic region.