- Lecturer: Kawai Akio (Research Fellow, Middle East Research Institute)
- Date & Time: Wednesday, October 19, 12:15–1:30 pm
- Venue: Kabayama-Matsumoto Room
- Admission: 1,000 yen (Students: 500 yen, IHJ Members: Free)
- *Lunch is NOT included.
- Language: Japanese (no English translation provided)
With the surge of pro-democracy movements in various parts of the Arab world this year, the influence on the Gulf countries, the world’s major source of energy, became the focus of global attention. In Bahrain, we witnessed an escalation of civil uprising of the disaffected Shias, who have been discriminated against by the minority but the ruling Sunnis. Mr. Kawai, who has researched this region for many years, will talk about how each Gulf country reacted to the “Arab Spring.”
Kawai Akio:
Born in 1968. After graduating from the University of Tokyo (Middle Eastern Studies), Mr. Kawai worked for NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) as a reporter and in program production. He was involved in website translation in Dubai after mastering the Arabic language in Jordan, and then served as a researcher at the Japanese Embassy in Saudi Arabia, followed by his career at the Qatar News Agency (QNA). Assumed his current position in 2008.