Academic Presentations / Panel Discussions
“Geoengineering Wars and Atmospheric Governance,” to the faculty and officer cadets of the College Militaire Royal de St. Jean (CMR), in St. Jean, Quebec, on Oct. 7, 2024.
Panel discussion on the regulation of autonomous weapons systems at a conference on The Geneva Conventions at 75: Need for Innovation, at Case Western University School of Law, Sept. 27, 2024.
“Drops in the Ocean: The Hidden Power of Rights-Based Climate Change Litigation,” Case Western University School of Law conference on Climate Change and International Law at a Crossroad, Cleveland, Ohio, September 29, 2023.
“Global War and Conflict in Ukraine and Beyond: An Effective and Balanced Response?,” American Association of Law Schools (AALS) Annual Conference, San Diego, California, January 7, 2023.
“Japan’s New National Security Strategy: A Response to Ukraine,” on a panel discussing “Asia and the Changing Global Order,” American Association of Law Schools (AALS) Annual Conference, San Diego, California, January 6, 2023.
“Why Should National Security Lawyers Care About Climate Change?” American Bar Association National Security Conference, Washington, D.C., Nov. 16, 2022.
“Should Climate Change be Framed as a Security Issue?” American Branch, International Law Association, annual International Law Weekend, New York City, Oct. 22, 2022.
“Economic Sanctions Against Climate Rogue States,” Law and Society Association Annual Conference, Lisbon, Portugal, Jul. 15, 2022.
Moderator, “Asian Approaches to Climate Change,” American Society of International Law webinar, featuring Prof. Yukari Takamura (Univ. of Tokyo, Japan), Prof. Shashikala Grupur (Symbiosis Univ., India), Prof. Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh, Leiden Univ., Netherlands, and Caidan Cao, (GEN Law Firm, China), April 21, 2022.
“The Canadian Use of Armed Drones: Legal Considerations,” Annual Conference of The Canadian Armed Forces Office of the Judge Advocate General, April 12, 2022.
Co-presenter and panelist, “Economic Sanctions: Legal and Policy Implications,” a symposium organized and sponsored by the Rideau Institute and the Human Rights Research and Education Center, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, January 18, 2022.
“The International Law Restraints Relating to Cyber-Security,” Canadian Pugwash Group Policy Conference on International Cyber-Security-Threats and Opportunities for Canada, October 19, 2021 (virtual).
“Defining the Climate Rogue State,” The Law and Society Association Annual Conference: Rule and Resistance, online conference, May 29, 2020.
“Atmospheric Intervention? The Climate Change Crisis and the Jus ad Bellum Regime,” Columbia Journal of Environmental Law Symposium, Sabin Center for Climate Change, Columbia University Law School, New York City, New York, March 3, 2020.
“Atmospheric Intervention: The Climate Change Crisis and the Jus ad Bellum Regime,” Presidential Panel on the Anthropocene, Asian Law and Society Annual Conference, Osaka, Japan, December 13, 2019.
“Why a Torture Debate?,” Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, October 30, 2019.
“Atmospheric Intervention: Climate Change and the Jus ad Bellum Regime,” Asian Society of International Law Biennial Conference, Manila, Philippines, August 22, 2019.
“Challenging and Refining the ‘Unwilling or Unable’ Doctrine,” The Asser Institute, The Hague, The Netherlands, Apr. 25, 2019.
“Lessons From Japan on the Legitimacy of Informal Constitutional Amendment,” East-West Center, co-sponsored by the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, August 31, 2018.
“The Royal Prerogative and Canadian Constitutional War Powers,” ICON-S (International Society of Public Law) Annual Conference, University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law, Hong Kong, June 27, 2018.
“The Hidden Dangers of the Japanese Government’s New Constitutional Amendment Proposals,” ICON-S (International Society of Public Law) Annual Conference, University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law, Hong Kong, June 26, 2018.
“The Hidden Dangers of Abe’s Current Constitutional Amendment Proposal,” Leiden University Asia Centre conference Security and Human Rights: Japan’s Constitutional Revision Debate, The Hague, Netherlands, May 4, 2018.
“Challenging and Refining the ‘Unwilling or Unable’ Doctrine,” American Association of Law Schools (AALS) Annual Conference, San Diego, California, Jan. 4, 2018.
“Challenging and Refining the ‘Unwilling or Unable’ Doctrine,” American Society of International Law (ASIL) Mid-Year Meeting, Washington Univesity School of Law, St. Louis, Missouri, October 28, 2017.
“Hate Speech Laws in Japan in a Comparative Perspective,” keynote address at symposium on Hate Speech Laws in Japan from a Comparative Perspective, at UC Hastings College of Law, San Francisco, California, September 22, 2017.
“Change It to Save It: Why and How to Amend Article 9,” keynote address at symposium on Abe’s Constitutional Amendment Proposals, at Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan, August 4, 2017.
“The Legitimacy of Informal Constitutional Amendment and the ‘Reinterpretation’ of Japan’s War Powers,” at I-CON Society Annual Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, July 6, 2017.
“The Use of Force Against Non-State Actors in Non-Consenting States: Challenging the Unwilling or Unable Doctrine,” at Law and Society Association Annual Conference, Mexico City, Mexico, June 21, 2017.
“Informal Constitutional Amendment and the “Reinterpretation” of Japan’s War Powers,” at Japan’s Constitutional Moment Symposium, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, August 12, 2016.
“The Royal Prerogative and Legal Constraints on the Use of Force: Bringing Canadian War Powers Into Line,” Law and Society Association Annual Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, June 3, 2016.
“The Reinterpretation of Japan’s Article 9 at the Intersection of Constitutional and International Law,” Japan’s Peace Constitution at a Crossroads Symposium, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan, March 16, 2016.
“The Reinterpretation of Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution from Constitutional and International Law Perspectives,” International Law and Japanese Approaches to the Law of the Sea and Peace Operations, The Asser Institute, The Hague, February 26, 2016.
“Informal Constitutional Amendment and the Japanese Government Reinterpretation of Constitutional War Powers,” Association of American Law Schools (AALS) 110th Annual Meeting, New York City, New York, January 10, 2016.
Chaired a panel and presented a paper, “Informal Amendment, the Reinterpretation of Article 9 of the Constitution, and the Rule of Law in Japan,” East Asian Law and Society Conference, Waseda Law School, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, August 6, 2015.
“Informal Amendment and Japan’s Constitutional ‘Reinterpretation’,” Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, Seattle, Washington, May 30, 2015.
“Article 9 at a Crossroads: The Past, Present and Future of Japan’s Peace Constitution,” keynote speaker, College of International Relations Research Group on Pacifism, 6th Annual Seminar, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan, March 18, 2015.
“A Means-Methods Paradox and the Legality of Drone Strikes in Armed Conflict,” Canadian Armed Forces Associate Judge Advocate General (AJAG) Pacific Regional Group’s CLE Session, Comox, British Columbia, Canada, February 7, 2015.
“Hopes Fulfilled? The Illegitimate Children Inheritance Case and Equality Rights in Japan,” Law and Society Association Annual Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 30, 2014.
“Extending the Limits of Armed Conflict,” 2013 Kansas National Guard Annual Judge Advocate General Conference, Washburn University School of Law, Topeka, Kansas, September 28, 2013.
Panelist, “Drones, Targeted Killing, and Cyber-Warfare Issues,” 2013 Kansas National Guard Annual Judge Advocate General Conference, Washburn University School of Law, Topeka, Kansas, September 28, 2013.
“Extending the Limits of Armed Conflict,” University of Missouri School of Law, Faculty Colloquium Series, Columbia, Missouri, September 20, 2013.
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“Defining the Limits of Armed Conflict,” Law & Society Association Annual Conference, Boston, May 31, 2013.
“The Rights of Belligerency in the Constitution of Japan: Lessons for Constitutional Use of International Law,” The Third East Asian Law & Society Conference, KoGuan Law School, JiaoTong University, Shanghai, China, March 23, 2013.
“The Alien Tort Statute and the Court’s Concern in Kiobel over Extraterritoriality under International Law,” Extraterritoriality Post Kiobel: International and Comparative Legal Perspectives Symposium, University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore, Maryland, November 16, 2012.
“Defining the Limits of Armed Conflict: The U.S., Al Qaeda, and Associated Forces,” Kansas National Guard 2012 Annual Judge Advocate Generals Conference, Topeka, Kansas, October 6, 2012.
“Denial of the Rights of Belligerency: The Forgotten and Misunderstood Clause in the Constitution of Japan”, Law & Society Association Annual Conference, Honolulu, June 9, 2012.
“Targeted Killing with Drones: At the Intersection of Jus ad Bellum and Jus in Bello,” keynote address, Public International Law and Foreign Affairs Conference, Creighton University School of Law, Omaha, Nebraska, March 30, 2012.
“Freedom of Expression and Hate Speech from a Comparative Perspective”, Faculties of Law and Journalism, University of Tuzla, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, January 23, 2012.
“The Legality of the U.S. Targeted Killing Policy”, Kansas National Guard 2011 Annual Judge Advocate General’s Conference, Topeka Kansas, November, 2011.
“A Constitutional Case for Amending Article 9”, panel on Japan’s Peace Constitution at 65: Time for a Change, at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington D.C., September 22, 2011 (details and video available online).
“Going Medieval: Targeted Killing, Armed Conflict, and Self-Defense,” Law & Society Association Annual Conference, San Francisco, June 2011.
Discussant, panel on “Law and Public Policy in East Asia”, Law & Society Annual Conference, San Francisco, June 2011.
“Going Medieval: Targeted Killing, Armed Conflict, and Self-Defense”, conference Using Targeted Killing to Fight the War on Terror: Philosophical, Moral and Legal Challenges, University of Pennsylvania Law School, April 14 – 15, 2011.
“Taking War Seriously,” at Brooklyn Law Review Author Spotlight Series, Brooklyn Law School, Brooklyn, October 2010.
“Response to Shigenori Matsui’s ‘Why the Japanese Court is so Conservative,'” Washington University in St. Louis, Decision Making on the Japanese Supreme Court Conference, St. Louis, September 2010.
“The Judicial Review of National Security Issues: A Comparative Analysis,” Law & Society Association Annual Conference, Chicago, May 2010.
“Taking War Seriously: The Case for Constitutional Implementation of Jus ad Bellum,” Foundations of International Law Conference, University of Pennsylvania Law School, April 2010.
Discussant, panel on “Trajectories of Japanese Law,” Association of Asian Studies Conference, Philadelphia, March 2010.
“National Security Implications of Climate Change,” Guest lecture, graduate course in Global Sustainability and Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, November 2009.
Moderator for panel on use of surveillance and vérité street video in the judicial system, Annual Video and Visual Advocacy Conference, University of Pennsylvania Law School, October 2009.
“Returning to the Vanguard: A New Model for Japan’s Article 9,” Law & Society AssociationAnnual Conference, Denver, May 2009.
“Glimmers of Hope: Equality Rights in Japanese Courts,” Law & Society Association Annual Conference, Denver, May 2009.
“Sheathing the Sword of War: Law and the Constraints on the Use of Armed Force,” Toward Critical Mass: Conference on International, Transnational and Comparative Law, University of Toronto, January 2009.
Public / Expert Testimony
Testified before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development in the House of Commons, Parliament of Canada, on issues relating to Canadian economic sanctions law and policy, September 27, 2023.
Testified before the Senate of Canada Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, on issues relating to Canadian economic sanctions law and policy, Nov. 16, 2022.
Media Engagements
Interviewed for and quoted in “Do Lebanon Explosions Violate the Laws of War,” Al Jazeera, Sept. 19, 2024.
Interviewed for and quoted in “What Makes a UN Decision Binding,” Responsible Statecraft, April 3, 2024.
Interviewed on the CBC Canada Tonight evening news to explain how international humanitarian law applied in the context of the Israel-Hamas conflict, October 26, 2023.
Interviewed for and quoted in, Ania Bessonov, “What Are Sanctions – And Do They Even Work?”, CBC News, Dec. 22, 2022.
Interviewed for and quoted in, Neil Moss, “Some MPs Hope for More Transparency on Canada’s Military Response to Invasion of Ukraine,” The Hill Times, Aug. 30, 2022.
Interviewed for and quoted in, Connor Echols, “Whatever Happened to the ‘Rules Based International Order?'” Responsible Statecraft, Aug. 9, 2022.
Interviewed for and quoted in discussion of the legal issues relating to economic sanctions against Russia on CNN-Brazil by Heloisa Villela, March 12, 2022.
Radio interview, “Why Canada Should Rethink its Approach to Economic Sanctions,” Global News – CHED Radio Edmonton, Canada, March 8, 2022.
Interviewed, “Law Professor Breaks Down Legal Options for K-State Amid Tweet Controversy,” KSNT TV News, June 30, 2020.
Interviewed for a news analysis panel on the dispute over Japan’s recent UNESCO cultural heritage listing, and its approach to its colonial history, on “The Point,” Arirang TV, South Korea, Jun. 24, 2020.
Interviewed for “Shinzo Abe’s ambition to revise the Japanese constitution,” on This Morning with Henry Shinn, TBS eFM, Seoul, South Korea, May 14, 2020.
Interviewed for “Attack on Saudi Oil Facilities Highlights Danger of ‘Kamikaze’ Drones,” with Thomas Daigle, CBC News, Canada, Sept. 18, 2019.
Interviewed for comment on Article 9 and Revisionist History, in AERA Magazine, Japan, Aug. 10, 2015.
Interviewed for “Word Watch: Officer Involved Shooting,” WNYC Studios – On the Media, with Bob Garfield, Jun. 4, 2015.
Interviewed for article on the Reinterpretation of Article 9 of the Constitution, Hokkaido Shinbun, Sappro, Hokkaido, Mar. 5, 2015.
Interviewed for “Japan’s Right to Collective Self-Defense,” with Katherine Bang, Radio FM90.5, Busan, South Korea, Jul. 2, 2014.
Interview for “Undermining the Rule of Law,” with Yoichi Takeuchi, Tokyo Shinbun, Tokyo, Japan, Jun. 30, 2014.
Commentary on “Canada’s Libya Mission Debrief,” Day 6, CBC, Canada, Jun. 18, 2011.