CCRS, in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Cambodia will organize Policy Dialogue on “Strategic Synergies: Advancing the Cambodia-Japan Partnership in a Regional Context” on 18 September 2026 at Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh.
This dialogue brings together practitioners and scholars to examine the evolving role of the Cambodia–Japan relationship within the broader regional architecture and explore how the vision of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) 2.0” can be translated into practical strategic cooperation amid a rapidly changing and increasingly volatile regional environment. Moving beyond the traditional framework of bilateral cooperation, the discussion will focus on identifying shared interests and opportunities in areas including regional stability, economic resilience, connectivity, and multilateral governance, while taking into account ASEAN’s central role in the regional order. By convening policymakers, practitioners, and academics, the dialogue will provide a platform for candid and forward-looking discussion on how Cambodia and Japan can better align their respective regional perspectives and contribute jointly to addressing emerging challenges.
The session is intended not merely as an exchange of views, but as a forward-looking exercise aimed at generating actionable insights and concrete policy recommendations. These outcomes can help inform future diplomatic and strategic engagement between Cambodia and Japan and contribute to strengthening their partnership as a constructive force for a free, open, peaceful, and resilient Indo-Pacific.
The format of this meeting is a structured policy dialogue featuring a moderated roundtable discussion and expert interventions designed to foster candid exchange. One Japanese expert and one Cambodian expert will be invited to provide each a 10-minute intervention. Followed the expert interventions, there will be an interactive dialogue between the speakers and participants, moderated by Amb. Pou Sothirak, Distinguished Senior Advisor to CCRS.
About 50 Participants ranging from government officials, academic experts, and strategic policy researchers from both Cambodia and Japan will be invited to take part in this meeting.
| Time | Program |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 09:00 | Registration |
| 09:00 – 09:05 | Welcoming Remarks Him Raksmey, Executive Director, Cambodian Center for Regional Studies (CCRS) |
| 09:05 – 09:10 | Opening Remarks Mr. MISUMI Takahito, Chargé d’Affaires/Minister, Embassy of Japan in Cambodia |
| 09:10 – 11:00 |
Policy Dialogue: Strategic Synergies: Advancing the Cambodia–Japan Partnership in a Regional Context
Moderator: Distinguished Speakers:
Q&A Session |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | End of Policy Dialogue |
About Role Players
Ambassador Pou Sothirak is a retired academic currently serving as the Distinguished Senior Advisor to the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies (CCRS). He was the Executive Director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace from May 2013 to August 2023. He was appointed as Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia from September 2013 to January 2014. He was a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of the Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore from January 2009 to December 2012. He also served as Cambodian Ambassador to Japan from April 2005 to November 2008. He was elected Cambodian Member of Parliaments twice during the national general election in 1993 and 2003. He was appointed as Minister of Industry Mines and Energy of the Royal Government of Cambodia from 1993 to 1998. He has written extensively on various issues concerning the development of Cambodia and the region.
Dr. Kei Koga is Associate Professor at the Public Policy and Global Affairs Programme, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Concurrently, he is a Nonresident Fellow at The National Bureau of Asia Research (NBR), the United States, and a member of RIPS Research Committee, the Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS), Japan. His research focuses on International Security, International/Regional Institutions (particularly ASEAN), and East Asian/Indo-Pacific security.
Dr. Sovinda Po is Senior Lecturer and PhD Program Coordinator at the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy (IISPP, Royal University of Phnom Penh and a Fellow (2026-2028) of the Transpacific and Asian Dialogue on China Project by the University of Pennsylvenia, the United States of America. He is also a 2024 IISS Southeast Asian Young Leader and a Cambodian delegate to the 2024 Shangri-La Dialogue; a former visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore; a Strategic Advisor to the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies, and a former director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, IISPP. His research agenda explores the relationship between China and mainland Southeast Asia. His journal articles have appeared in The Pacific Review, Australian Journal of International Affairs, Asian Studies Review, Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, European Journal of East Asian Studies, Southeast Asian Affairs, Journal of Greater Mekong Studies, Explorations: A Graduate Student Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, and UC Occasional Paper Series. He received his PhD in Political Science with an Award of Excellence in Thesis Research from Griffith University, Australia.
This event is by-invitation only.