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About

About Keio Center for Strategy

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Keio Center for Strategy (KCS) was founded in March 2023 as part of Keio University Global Research Institute (KGRI). In an increasingly complex geopolitical climate, KCS facilitates collaboration between experts affiliated with Keio University across various fields, with the aim of conducting policy research and producing strategic thinking with a global and interdisciplinary perspective.

KCS deals with fields such as economic security, strategic communication, and geopolitics. We seek to understand regional issues around the world by looking beyond narrow methodological frameworks and facilitating cooperation between the public and private sectors.

Welcoming the contributions of those engaged in academia, government, and industry, KCS seeks not only to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas, but to serve as the nexus of a wide-reaching network of knowledge by partnering with universities around the world.

Academic Engagements

The International Network of Knowledge

At Keio Center for Strategy, we collaborate with leading research institutions both in Japan and abroad to advance cutting-edge academic research. We conduct international collaborative research projects with universities in the United States and the United Kingdom, host regular international conferences, and hold meetings with researchers from abroad.

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Collaborations with Government and Experts

Communication with the Government

Through regular communication with government officials both within Japan and overseas, KCS stays at the forefront of current developments, while providing key insights and promoting policy discussions, both domestically and internationally. For example, in 2023, we undertook a project commissioned by Japan's Cabinet Office, conducting research on establishing of a government-affiliated think tank.

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Collaborations with the Business Community

A Partnership for Developing Strategy

Beyond sharing expertise through public events, KCS offers corporate members a range of exclusive forums for dialogue. 
We provide exclusive lectures from members of Keio University’s faculty on current issues in international affairs, delivering practical insights tailored to the needs of our members; monthly private study groups, led by practitioners and specialists at the forefront of their fields; and roundtable discussions bringing together experts and government officials from across the world. In these activities, KCS places a strong emphasis on interactive learning. Our aim is not only to provide knowledge that supports organizational development and strategic planning, but to serve as a partner in shaping the future.

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Message from Directors

Message

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Director, Keio Center for Strategy

Yuichi Hosoya (細谷 雄一)

Message from the Director

The world is currently in great turmoil. The international order has been shaken at its foundations by continued conflict in both Ukraine and the Middle East, the forward march of populism worldwide in the wake of polarized civil societies, and the retreat of democracy itself. In such a contest, a long-term perspective and broad strategic thinking are becoming more significant than ever.

Keio Center for Strategy (KCS) was founded in March 2023 amidst a world of growing uncertainty. Our goal is to transcend the narrow confines of individual fields of study, investigating global and regional issues in an interdisciplinary manner, and positively sharing our research findings. 

Yukichi Fukuzawa, the founder of Keio University, emphasized the importance of ‘practical studies’ or ‘jitsugaku’ in academia. This refers to using an empirical approach when solving problems and staying grounded in the real world. KCS inherits his spirit and tackles diverse global and domestic challenges with integrity, conducting analyses based on the realistic and empirical academic foundations.
森 聡
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Deputy Director, Keio Center for Strategy

Satoru Mori (森 聡)

Strategy in today’s world

The concept of ‘strategy’ has its roots in the Classical Greek ‘strategos’ and ‘strategia’. As
times have shifted, not only the policymakers’ perceptions of war, but the general blueprint for the deployment of a nation’s resources, such as military and economy, to further the national interest, which experts term ‘grand strategy’, has changed. Thus, the definition of ‘strategy’ has diversified and disseminated as these new concepts emerged. Lawrence Freedman, a British intellectual titan of strategic studies, in his May 2023 third edition of The New Makers of Modern Strategy, traces the evolution of the definition of ‘strategy’ throughout history and writes that “over the past 250 years, ‘strategy’ has become an umbrella term of potential relevance to all human affairs”.

Increasingly, the major powers are trending towards attempting to reorganize the international order in their image, and globally shared values and compromise between value systems are scarce. It is becoming difficult for nations when their interests are threatened to come together and negotiate towards a mutually beneficial solution, meaning that international politics is inherently volatile and unpredictable. Furthermore, while nations are increasingly interconnected by trade, technology, financial globalization, and human connections, there is an increasing tendency to militarize these elements. Under the conditions of this uncertain age, we need to immerse ourselves in an international network of knowledge, update our understanding of what a ‘strategy’ is, and debate, think carefully, and envision what Japan's ‘strategy’ should be.

The significance of conceiving a ‘strategy’ in today’s world is to find a course for surviving in a current situation full of uncertainty and fluidity. We must understand the risks our nations face, decide which challenges should be prioritized, and constantly review our "strategy" to systematically and consistently coordinate the methods and means for dealing with various risks while keeping in mind resource constraints. The Keio Center for Strategy aims to become a focal point for an intellectual group that brings together experts from inside and outside Keio, as well as promising young researchers.
鶴岡 路人
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Deputy Director, Keio Center for Strategy

Michito Tsuruoka (鶴岡 路人)

The role of university-based think-tanks

Given that international relations and the internal socio-political dynamics within nations are now in a state of constant flux, the importance of policy research is becoming increasingly manifest. Throughout Japan, there are many think-tanks; in the university sector, there are many research institutes. However, there is still a small number of institutions that primarily deal with policy research on contemporary issues, and address the topic of ‘strategy’, which is built upon the foundations of politics, diplomacy, and defense studies and encompasses economic and technological problems. In Japan, there is a climate in which contemporary policy studies have not been considered as academic and crucial. 

Keio Center for Strategy (KCS) strives to establish a new approach to policy research in Japan based on academic research by Keio University. By establishing a methodology for policy research itself, we reflect this in education at the undergraduate and graduate levels and explore new ways of forming relationships between universities and society.

Furthermore, as a university-based think-tank, one of our main roles is to foster the next generation of policy researchers in Japan. Undergraduate and graduate students have already gained experience in policy research and organizational management at think tanks as research assistants (RAs). Moreover, we use the system of a specially appointed assistant professor to foster promising policy researchers. It is also crucial for graduate students and young researchers to join an international network of policy researchers. Therefore, we encourage specially appointed assistant professors and RAs to actively participate in exchanges and joint research between KCS and foreign research institutions.