The Hokkaido University Arctic Research Center, the Arctic Challenge for Sustainability (ArCS) III – Arctic Governance Research Group, the Asia Arctic Network for Research and Education, the UArctic Thematic Network on Asia in the Arctic, and Arctic in Asia co-organized a hybrid seminar titled “Asia and the Arctic: Encounters and Entanglements” in Sapporo on 4 July 2025.
The event began with a brief introduction and an overview of recent developments, new projects, and emerging research collaboration frameworks connecting the Arctic and Asia, delivered by Juha Saunavaara (Hokkaido University). This was followed by four presentations, each highlighting the versatility and complexity of the entanglements between the Arctic and Asia.
Kamrul Hossain (University of Lapland) discussed the relationship between the Arctic and the Third Pole, followed by Martin Kossa (Nord University), who explained the background and recent developments in China’s Arctic policy and engagement.
Marina Lomaeva and Artem Suslov (Hokkaido University) presented their methodology and preliminary findings on Russia’s “turn to Asia” in the Arctic following the onset of the war in Ukraine. This was followed by Edward Rhys Jones (University of Oxford), who delivered a presentation titled “Framing Japan’s Arctic Science Diplomacy as Foreign Policy Practice.” The session concluded with a lively and thought-provoking discussion.
