For students planning to study International Law and International Security in the Master’s Program (GSICS, Kobe University) in 2026–2028 or 2027–2029.

Below is a list of possible research topics for developing a proposal. It is not exhaustive.

1) Weapons, disarmament & international humanitarian law

Anti-personnel landmines (Ottawa Convention)

• Assessing withdrawals from the Ottawa Convention: https://lieber.westpoint.edu/assessing-ottawa-anti-personnel-mine-convention-withdrawals/
• Ukraine and the future of the Ottawa Convention: https://lieber.westpoint.edu/ukraine-future-ottawa-convention/
• My earlier work (PDF): https://da.lib.kobe-u.ac.jp/da/kernel/0100497683/0100497683.pdf

Explosive remnants of war (ERW) / unexploded ordnance (UXO)

• ICRC overview: https://www.icrc.org/en/law-and-policy/explosive-remnants-war
• My earlier work on the Cluster Munitions Convention: https://brill.com/view/journals/ihls/3/2/article-p322_5.xml

Legal review of weapons (Article 36, AP I)

• Article 36 (ICRC treaty database): https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/api-1977/article-36
• APILS resources on legal review: https://apils.org/legal-review/

2) Economic sanctions

UN sanctions / autonomous sanctions

• In relation to ongoing autonomous sanctions against Russia:
  • My work, a journal article (open access): https://brill.com/view/journals/iclr/26/1-2/article-p69_4.xml
  • My work, a book chapter (open access): https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-edit/10.4324/9780429052989-15/russia-mika-hayashi
• For broader recent debates on economic sanctions and related issues:
  • Yale Journal of International Law, post: https://yjil.yale.edu/posts/2023-06-21-the-opacity-of-economic-coercion