Yoichiro Sato is a Professor at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University and is the dean of the Department and the Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies. He earned his Ph.D in Political Science from University of Hawaii. Previously, he has taught at the U.S. Department of Defense’s Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Auckland University, Kansai Gaidai Hawaii College, and the University of Hawaii. His publications include The Rise of China and International Security (co-edited with Kevin Cooney, Routledge, 2008), The U.S.-Japan Security Alliance (co-edited with Takashi Inoguchi and G. John Ikenberry, Palgrave, 2011), Regional Institutions, Geopolitics and Economics in the Asia Pacific (co-edited with Steve Rothman and Utpal Vyas, Routledge, 2017), Re-Rising Japan (co-edited with Hidekazu Sakai, Peter Lang, 2017), and Identity, Culture and Memory in Japanese Foreign Policy (co-edited with Michal Kolmaš, Peter Lang, 2021).

Astha Chadha is a Japanese Government MEXT Scholar pursuing PhD at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University and is a researcher at the university’s Center for Democracy Promotion. She holds MSc in International Relations (Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University), MA in Economics (Jawaharlal Nehru University) and BA (Hons) in Economics (University of Delhi). Her research is focused on India-Japan relations, security, and defense analyses of regional powers in the Indo-Pacific, South Asian rivalries, and conflict resolution etc. She has previously published in Global Affairs, Contemporary Japan, South Asian Popular Culture, Ritsumeikan Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, and has contributed to The Diplomat, Khabarhub, Kootneeti and others.