Strengthening the Transparency of the Antarctic Treaty System / Antarctic Governance Research 2025-2030

Welcome to the Kick-Off Seminar
of the JSPS Core-to-Core Program on Antarctic Governance Research!

This Kick-Off Seminar will focus on one of emerging Antarctic governance challenges, namely the transparency mechanisms built into and developed and nurtured by the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), such as information exchange and inspection mechanisms. These mechanisms ensure the compliance with the main principles of the ATS: peaceful use; non-militarization; mining ban; and environmental protection. In light of recent concerns as to “dual use” or “dual purpose” of Antarctic personnel, facilities, scientific activities and data, an effective functioning and possible strengthening of such mechanisms are called for. This seminar also constitutes a series of similar events organized to highlight the importance of the upcoming Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCM) to be held in Hiroshima, Japan in May 2026 and in Korea in 2027 and beyond.

Keynote Speech

William Muntean "Considerations of Transparency in Antarctica"

This keynote speech will explore how transparency could be enforced or changed by touching on three types of transparency obligations: those that are (1) mandated by the Antarctic Treaty and its Environmental Protocol, (2) were established via a Measure at an ATCM, and (3) information sharing that regularly occur but that are not required by an official decision. The presentation will briefly comment on the intended goals and audiences for those transparency actions.

Program

*14:00-16:00　Business Meeting for the Program (closed, different venue)
*August 1 (Fri) 13:30-15:00 Kobe Seminar (if interested, please contact the Secretariat)

Panelists (other than keynote speaker)

Registration / ZOOM Webinar Registration

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JSPS Program at a glance

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) adopts annually a very few Core-to-Core Programs on Advanced Research Networks. These programs are designed to create top world-class research centers that partner over the long term with other core research institutions around the world in advancing research in leading-edge fields, on issues of high international priority. This Program also concentrates on fostering the next generations of trailblazing young researchers.

In April 2025, Kobe PCRC was granted 1.4 million JPY/year for 5 years (until March 2030) for its proposed program on “Re-arranging resilient Antarctic governance to reflect the Earth’s interests through natural-social sciences interdisciplinary research”, with the University of Tasmania (UTAS), Australia and Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) as Collaborating Overseas Core Institutions. Sophia University, Hokkaido University Institute for Low Temperature Sciences, National Institute of Polar Research, and the University of Wollongong are the Cooperating Institutions, with two or more participating researchers in the Program. Under this program, we have over 55 Antarctic scholars in international law, international relations, humanities, biology, glaciology, physical oceanography and other Earth science disciplines from Japan, Australia, Korea, China, India, Turkiye, Malaysia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, Iceland, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands. This Program is open to additional institutions and researchers interested in a long-term and sustained collaboration with financial commitment and with the agreement of the three original core institutions.

JSPS Core-to-Core Program on Antarctic Governance Research identifies, as examples, five specific issues to be researched:

1. (1) Antarctic ice-sheet vulnerability and governance challenges;
2. (2) Conservation of Antarctic biodiversity, including Emperor Penguins;
3. (3) Maintaining the peaceful use of Antarctica, with particular attention to potential dual use of Antarctic facilities, technologies, data and personnel;
4. (4) Access to and sustainable use of Antarctic genetic resources and digital sequence information with potential benefit sharing, including the implication of BBNJ agreement entering into force; and
5. (5) Effective management and potential regulations of Antarctic tourism activities.

In order to pursue the above, our Antarctic Governance Program identifies the need to research on more fundamental, issue-transcending, and/or theoretical issues, such as the concepts of “planetary boundaries”, “Earth System Law” or “Global Environmental Law”, the theories of jurisdiction in the Antarctic contexts, an in-depth understanding of the geopolitical change in international society, the concept of “multipolar world order”, and regime complexes and potential conflicts.

JSPS Core-to-Core Program on Antarctic Governance Program will be pursued through strategically and effectively coordinated collaborative research events combining: (a) Program seminars; (b) Theme/Topic-specific seminars and breakout sessions in those three countries and at the venue of major international academic conferences such as Polar Law Symposium, SCAR Open Science Conference, and side-events at ATCM; and (c) Early-Career Collaborative Initiatives (ECCI).

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