The Indo-Pacific region faces a complex and evolving landscape of strategic, economic, and security challenges. While Japan and ASEAN have maintained a longstanding partnership characterized by cooperation in areas such as trade, infrastructure development, security, and cultural exchange, the current geopolitical climate necessitates a renewed focus on collaborative efforts. This need is amplified by emerging regional dynamics, including geopolitical tensions and economic shifts, requiring innovative and adaptable policies to ensure stability and prosperity. These evolving dynamics demand fresh perspectives on how Japan and ASEAN can jointly navigate these challenges and maintain a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
The existing partnership between Japan and ASEAN provides a strong foundation for enhanced collaboration. However, the dynamic nature of the Indo-Pacific necessitates a modernization of these cooperative efforts. The region requires innovative and adaptable policies to address its multifaceted challenges, ranging from traditional security concerns to non-traditional threats like climate change and pandemics. Furthermore, fostering deeper understanding and dialogue among future leaders is crucial for ensuring the long-term success of Japan-ASEAN cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. The need for creative policy recommendations and strategic insights that can influence diplomatic and economic strategies in the region is more critical than ever.
This essay competition directly addresses these needs by providing a platform for students, young professionals, and scholars to engage in high-level discussions on international relations and geopolitics within the Indo-Pacific context. By encouraging participants to offer actionable solutions and fresh perspectives, the project fosters a forward-looking approach to addressing regional issues. This initiative serves as a catalyst for promoting collaborative dialogue between Japan and ASEAN, encouraging participants to analyze the importance of this partnership in achieving shared goals like peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. This competition aims to empower the next generation of leaders by giving them a platform to contribute their thoughts and solutions to real-world challenges.
Key Topics
- Strategic Security and Maritime Cooperation: How Japan and ASEAN can cooperate to ensure peace, stability, and security in the Indo-Pacific, particularly concerning maritime disputes, freedom of navigation, and regional defense cooperation.
- Economic Partnership and Development: Exploring ways Japan and ASEAN can strengthen economic ties through trade, investment, and infrastructure projects, especially under the framework of Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy (FOIP).
- Environmental and Sustainable Development: Investigating joint initiatives to address environmental challenges such as climate change, disaster preparedness, and resource management in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Cultural Exchange and People-to-People Connectivity: Assessing how collaboration in education, tourism, and cultural diplomacy can foster stronger ties between ASEAN countries and Japan.
General Terms and Conditions
- The participant is an active university student from Japan, and all ASEAN member states. A student identification card or other supporting document is needed to prove active status.
- Participants can be an individual or a group consisting of a maximum of 3 persons.
- Participants are encouraged and expected to read the entirety of the guidelines provided in the ASC website.
List of Research and Development Funds:
- Impact Grant (1st Place): IDR 3,000,000
- Innovation Grant (2nd Place): IDR 2,000,000
- Seed Grant (3rd Place): IDR 1,000,000
The awarded Research and Development Funds, in the form of grants, can be used to support the author/team’s continued research, development, and implementation of their innovative solution.
Essay Guidelines
- The essay must be original work and has not been published in other publication platforms.
- The essay must align with the key topics listed above.
- The essay must be written in American English.
- Font: Cambria, font size: 12, line spacing: 1.15, spacing before: 0 pt, spacing after: 12 pt.
- Full essay length: 1,500 – 2,000 words. Excluding footnotes and references.
- The author notes that the essay can not be withdrawn at any condition once it is accepted by the committee.
- Essays must follow a formal academic format, including an introduction, main body, and conclusion, with proper citations and references for all sources.
- The essay will be curated and published by the ASEAN Studies Center for academic purposes.
Submission and Competition Technicalities
- Submission is to be submitted through ugm.id/ASCECJF25
- File naming should be Last name_Essay [E.g. Saputra_Essay (individual) or Saputra, Firhansyah & Ashari_Essay (groups).
- The submitted essay should be in PDF format.
- The latest submission to be made is by Sunday, the 19th of January 2025.
- One representative is sufficient for group submission to submit the essay.
- Three of the best essays will be selected to continue to the next stage. This will be announced on the 5th of March 2025.
- The top three winners will be announced on the 5th of March 2025.
- The winners are asked to present their essays during the seminar and awarding ceremony.
Submit Your Essay here: ugm.id/ASCECJF25
Timeline
Contact Person
Mr. Tunggul Wicaksono
Research Manager, ASEAN Studies Center Universitas Gadjah Mada
tunggulwicaksono@ugm.ac.id
