The Geoeconomics of Gen AI: Middle Power Strategies on Digital Sovereignty

Senior Research Fellow

Kota Umeda is a senior research fellow at the Institute of Geoeconomics at the International House of Japan. Since 2026, he has also served as an adjunct lecturer at Keio University, where he teaches space policy. From 2015 to 2025, he worked at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), where he focused on researching U.S. space policy, coordinating with other space agencies, and developing JAXA's cybersecurity policy and incident response strategies. From 2019 to 2022, Mr. Umeda served as JAXA's liaison officer in Washington, D.C., collaborating with the U.S. government, industry leaders, and various stakeholders to promote Japan-U.S. space cooperation. Prior to his career in the space sector, Mr. Umeda spent five years at the Japan Ministry of Defense, where he researched military activities surrounding Japan and contributed to the formulation of arms control and disarmament policies. He holds a Master of Laws from Kyoto University and a Bachelor's degree in Policy Studies from Kwansei Gakuin University.

Visiting Senior Research Fellow

SAITOU Kousuke is a professor at the Faculty of Global Studies, Sophia University, Japan. He received his Ph.D. in International Political Economy from the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan. Prior to joining Sophia University to teach international security studies, he was an associate professor at Yokohama National University, Japan. [Concurrent Position] Professor, Faculty of Global Studies, Sophia University