A Year of Growth: Japan, The Hague, and the Next Steps in Cambodia

Ends and New Beginnings

Has it truly been almost a year since my journey in Japan began? As I reflect on the past year, it is hard to believe how much has transpired since I first arrived in Japan on 4 August 2023. I have learned so much not only about Japan, international law, and Rotary, but about myself—I have clarified my own goals and how I believe I can contribute to a more just and peaceful world. My journey has taken me from my vibrant academic home in Tokyo to researching in the religiously diverse yet peaceful city of Amman, Jordan, to rubbing shoulders with presidents and other senior leaders in Switzerland, to witnessing the proceedings of the United Nations' highest court in The Hague, and soon I will have a chance to apply these experiences working as a legal intern at a criminal tribunal in Cambodia. I am deeply grateful to everyone whom I have met and worked with on this journey, and I hope that through our interactions and collaboration, we can contribute to our shared goal with Rotary of building and sustaining peace.

Today, I received word that the new Fellow for my district has arrived in Japan signifying a true changing of the guards for the Rotary Peace Center in Tokyo. This past month it was bittersweet to bid farewell and celebrate the accomplishments of the senior cohort or 先輩 (Sempai) as they prepared for the next steps in their journey for peace this past month. Whether its Azmina Karim, who is already in the Philippines advocating for and continuing her research for Rohingya Refugees or Luz Carreño working against gender-based violence in Mexico and embarking on a PhD in this research, or Alaina Broderson who has never ceased in her work for LGBT+ rights, or all of the other members of the graduating class, I have been constantly inspired and will deeply miss all our Sempai. I know they will do great things beyond the fellowship to promote peace and justice, and I look forward to remaining in contact and supporting each other in the years to come. I am also very happy to know that a couple of fellows, such as Kyle Taylor and Serine Halabi, will continue working in Tokyo, enabling us to continue collaborating directly with each other on our shared goals and initiatives in Japan.

During the Annual Peace Fellow Seminar, our Sempai presented on the research they had conducted over the past two years

The End of the First Year: Insights and Inspiration from around the world

During the Saint Gallen Symposium in Switzerland, I had the chance to meet leaders from across political, business, and the humanitarian fields including one on one conversations with the former Latvian president and European Human Rights Court Judge Egils Levits as well as Stephen Cornish, the Director of the MSF Operations Center

The final trimester of my first year at ICU was marked by numerous enriching experiences. Among the highlights were the research trip to Jordan, a visit to the National Diet of Japan where I met Representative Arfiya Eri (listed on Time’s 100Next for her work as a champion of diversity in Japan), a memorable trip to Hakone with Fukui-san (my wonderful counselor), and attending numerous academic conferences. This semester was also pivotal in deepening my academic

relationships, particularly with my new thesis advisor and mentor, Professor Naoko Hashimoto, under whom I am also working as a teaching assistant. I am constantly amazed and inspired by her work both in academia and in practice through her work in advancing Refugee Law and work for the Japanese Ministry of Justice regarding Asylum Applicants. I have already learned so much from her. My coursework, which included Arbitration, Human Rights Law, and Public International Law, was both challenging and rewarding. Through a dedicated field research course, I had the chance to further my research on the Armenian diaspora of Jordan (discussed in my last post). The semester ended with the incredible opportunity to assist with my mentor's symposium on “Why accept refugees?” by escorting Professor Matthew Gibney, a renowned figure in the field of Forced Migration. I traveled with him to the airport on his final day as he returned to Oxford before hopping on a plane myself to embark on the next phase of my journey in the Hague to begin the Applied Field Experience.

The Beginning of the Applied Field Experience

As Peace Fellows, we conduct fieldwork to either advance our research or gain professional experience. For my program, I aimed to achieve both by engaging in professional training and an internship aligned with my research focus. So, at the beginning of July, I arrived in The Hague at the beginning of July to take courses and

Demonstrators outside the Peace Palace during its delivery of the Advisory Opinion. I was lucky to be one of fifteen members of the members of the public to attend.

practical training in International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Criminal Law (ICL) with Leiden University. Over the course of three intensive weeks, I had the privilege of learning from some of the leading experts in these fields, including Horst Fisher (a renowned scholar of IHL at Columbia University) and in ICL such as Ms. Lada Šoljan (a Gender-Based Violence expert and member of the prosecution team for among other crimes, crimes related to the Srebrenica Genocide) and Judge Kimberly Prost (Judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC)) who provided us in-depth knowledge of both the law today and its challenges and evolution. Highlights included attending two trials at the ICC, connecting with so many incredible fellow students and experts of international law, and on the final day attending the International Court of Justice’s delivery of its Advisory Opinion on the Occupied Palestinian Territory—the first opinion on Palestine given by the UN’s highest court since its Wall Opinion more than twenty years ago.

Meeting with Fujiwara-san at the ICC next to the Heiwa or Peace Bell donated by Japan

Another highlight of my time in The Hague was meeting Hiroto Fujiwara, an ICU alumnus who currently works in the registry of the International Criminal Court (ICC). After graduating from ICU, he built an impressive career, contributing to various organizations, including UNHCR and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC)—where I will begin my internship next week. Engaging with such a distinguished alumnus

offered me invaluable insights into the field of international criminal law, the workings of the ECCC, and the remarkable journey of a former ICU student. Through our conversation and a subsequent online webinar focused on the ICC’s work in Asia, where I had the chance to pose a question to Tomoko Akane, the Japanese President of the ICC, I discovered the profound connection Japan has to international criminal law. It was particularly striking to learn that Japan is the primary donor to the ICC, highlighting what an outsized role Japan has in the world of international justice.

I was honored that my colleagues from Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, and China invited me to join their picture in representing the Asia-Pacific in the academic cohort at the University of Leiden

Despite being in The Hague, I have continued to feel a deep connection to Japan. An alumni fellow and I recently published an article in The Japan Times, Japan’s largest English newspaper, on the protest movement in Japan, and continued to attend virtual academic

conferences in and about Japan.  I miss my colleagues, mentors, and friends in Japan, and must admit that I felt an affinity for my fellow students from East and South East Asia during the course. It has been great to be back and Europe, but I also look forward to being back in the Asia-Pacific when I travel back to South East Asia.

The next step in the Applied Field Experience

I am now preparing to depart for Phnom Penh, Cambodia. As an intern at the ECCC or the Khmer Rouge Tribunal I will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained during the summer courses in the Hague. The ECCC is the court that was established to try senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge for serious crimes, including genocide and crimes against humanity. Here I hope to better understand, among other things, the tribunal’s unique approach to victim reparations and how the court hopes to carry on its work of promoting reconciliation as it has entered its residual mechanism phase and prepares to shut its doors in the coming years. I have also learned how Japan likewise supported this Court by providing over half of its funding. While still in Tokyo, I had the incredible opportunity to meet with one of the Judges of the Supreme Court of the Extraordinary Chambers— Judge Motoo Noguchi, who has served off and on as a judge since the court’s inception. Between meeting with Judge Noguchi, Fujiwara-san, and numerous conversations in The Hague, the internship has already opened numerous doors, and I believe that it will provide a rich opportunity to both advance my Masters' thesis work and professional experience.

I remain committed to working in the field of International Humanitarian Law, where I hope to be involved more in the preventative aspect of International Law. I just submitted my second job application to a job within this field this past week, eager to take the next step in my journey following the completion of the fellowship. Nonetheless, I am excited to learn more about IHL from a different angle at an international tribunal—specifically, the penalization of IHL violations and other serious crimes, victim reparations, and reconciliation in a post-conflict society. Furthermore, the opportunity to see the incredible work of practitioners of ICL in promoting restorative, retributive, distributive, and expressivist forms of justice has been inspiring. I hope that somehow the work of these organs of justice can help to build a more just world.

As one chapter closes, another is beginning with the completion of my first year in Japan and professional training in The Hague. Tomorrow I will fly to Cambodia, and look forward to applying the knowledge that I have gained at the ECCC to contribute, learn, and ultimately to strive towards a more peaceful and just world. The experiences and connections I've made with academic mentors, Rotarians, distinguished professionals, colleagues and fellow students have been invaluable. I deeply appreciate your continued support and look forward to sharing more updates soon.