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The Japan Foundation grant awardee So Morikawa from University of Tokyo arrives at GPS as Visiting Professor

The Indo-Pacific region is becoming increasingly relevant for geopolitics and for Japan. Ever since Japan’s then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe introduced the idea of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) in 2016, Japan has reshaped its politics in the region.

In 2023, UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS) received a multi-year grant from the Japan Foundation to study Japan and the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific. As part of this grant, professor So Morikawa from the University of Tokyo (Todai) is currently in residence at GPS.

Morikawa graduated from Todai with a degree in law, but he then pivoted into civil engineering and social studies. He aims to contribute to our understanding of international affairs by studying official development aid — particularly how investing in infrastructure can further global policy objectives. He is currently a faculty member at the International Project Laboratory at Todai’s School of Engineering. His research focuses on social infrastructure development and geopolitics in Sri Lanka, among other countries. 

Morikawa said that GPS is an ideal academic institution for him to conduct his multidisciplinary research. During his stay here, he plans to continue research for a book which will discuss the governance of international economic cooperation and social infrastructure development. He is also interested in analyzing corporate behaviors and strategies that play a critical role in international infrastructure development.

He is spending his time in San Diego with his wife and 4-month-old daughter, living in the Mission Beach area of America’s Finest City.