Urgent Workshop "One Month Since US-Israel Attacks on Iran: Considering the Future of the Middle East Turned into a 'Hot War'" - Online Event on April 3rd (Friday)

Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (Fuchu City, Tokyo, President: Nobuo Kasei) Institute of Asian and African Languages and Cultures (ILCAA) and Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) "Nation Consciousness and Knowledge Production Mechanisms of Immigrants and Refugees from the Greater Middle East under Political Crisis" (Representative: Keiko Sakai) will hold an urgent workshop titled "One Month Since US-Israel Attacks on Iran: Considering the Future of the Middle East Turned into a 'Hot War'" online on April 3rd, 2026 (Friday).

If you wish to cover this event, please indicate "Media Attendance" in the "Affiliation" field when registering for participation.

Background and Objectives

One month has passed since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran. Contrary to the initial expectation of a short-term resolution by the Trump administration, missile exchanges have continued, with damage expanding to US military and industrial facilities in Gulf oil-producing countries and Iraq. The navigation difficulties in the Strait of Hormuz are impacting the global economy. Iraq has declared support for Iran, escalating regional conflict, and Israel is intensifying attacks on southern Lebanon. Ceasefire proposals are currently met with skepticism.

The ongoing conflict around the Persian Gulf and Israel's expanding hegemony in the Middle East are rapidly transforming various existing "cold coexistences" in the region into a "hot war."

How will this conflict affect intra-regional relations in the Middle East, particularly the relationship between the Gulf Arab states and Iran? Furthermore, what will be the future of the US military presence in the Middle East? And how can the security and stability of the Middle East, which feels like it has lost its foundation, be restored?

Following the urgent seminars held at Chiba University on March 6th and Tokyo University of Foreign Studies on March 10th, this second workshop will be conducted with the following lineup.

Event Information

● Date and Time: Friday, April 3rd, 2026, 16:00-18:00

● Venue: Online Conference Room (Zoom Webinar)

● Language: Japanese (with English abstract)

● Participation Method: Advance registration is required. After registering via the URL form below, a participation URL will be sent.

● Registration: https://forms.gle/MdtrFLpmsAaPvTJh8 (Participation URL will be sent one day before the event)

Application Deadline: Thursday, April 2nd, 2026, 13:00

● Co-organizers:

・ Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Institute of Asian and African Languages and Cultures (AA-JK) Core Research "Field Archiving of 'Memory': Elucidating the Dynamics of Coexistence Societies Connected by Islam"

・ Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) "Nation Consciousness and Knowledge Production Mechanisms of Immigrants and Refugees from the Greater Middle East under Political Crisis" (Representative: Keiko Sakai)

● Speakers:

・ Yasuyuki Matsunaga (Professor, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)

・ Shuji Hosaka (Research Advisor, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan)

・ Hidemitsu Kuroki (Professor, Institute of Asian and African Languages and Cultures, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)

・ Keiko Sakai (Project Professor, Chiba University)

Speaker Profiles

Yasuyuki Matsunaga

Professor, Graduate School of Global Arts, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (Ph.D., New York University). Specializes in comparative politics, international relations, and Iranian regional studies.

Shuji Hosaka

Research Advisor, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, after serving as a Special Researcher at the Embassy of Japan in Kuwait and the Embassy of Japan in Saudi Arabia, and as a professor at Kindai University.

Hidemitsu Kuroki

Professor, Institute of Asian and African Languages and Cultures, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (Master's, University of Tokyo). Specializes in modern and contemporary East Arab history. Visiting Professor at the Center for Global Risk Studies, Nagasaki University.

Keiko Sakai

Project Professor, Institute for Global Studies, Chiba University; Director, Center for the Study of Global Fusion, Chiba University. Specializes in Middle Eastern politics and Iraqi politics. Served as the 21st President of the Japan Association of International Relations (2012-2014).

How to Apply

Please register in advance via the link below.

A participation URL will be sent after registration.

*For media attendance, please indicate "Media Attendance" in the "Affiliation" field when registering.

*Application Deadline: Thursday, April 2nd, 2026, 13:00

https://forms.gle/MdtrFLpmsAaPvTJh8

Other Information

For details about this workshop, please visit:

https://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/events/detail/e405/

University Name: National University Corporation Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Representative: President Nobuo Kasei Address: 3-11-1 Asahi-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183-8534 Tokyo University of Foreign Studies URL: https://www.tufs.ac.jp/

Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Institute of Asian and African Languages and Cultures URL: https://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/