About the Hub
The International Law Research and Training Hub is affiliated with the Research Centre for Sustainable Peace at the University of Tokyo. The Hub is a forum of networks that serve to accommodate researchers and students who are interested in international law, particularly in the areas of International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law, International Criminal Law, and Refugee Law.
Our activities focus on two primary pillars.
1. Training the Next Generation: We equip students of the University of Tokyo with the skills necessary to excel in international law competitions.
2. Advancing Legal Research: Beyond competitions, our members engage in academic research. We foster a community of intellectual curiosity where researchers and students publish articles and blog posts.
About the Members
Professor Ai Kihara-Hunt
Ai Kihara-Hunt is a Professor for the Graduate Program of Human Security and the Director of the Global Research Center for Sustainable Peace at the University of Tokyo. She also serves as Secretary at the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS), an editor for the Global Governance Journal and a section editor for Geografia – Malaysian Journal of Society and Space.
Her main areas of research are human rights law, International Humanitarian Law and accountability, UN Peace Operations, the UN Police, and the rule of law and accountability. Beside teaching, she coaches international law moot teams, and undertakes several projects in collaboration with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN-OHCHR), International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), human rights organizations and universities. Between 1998 and 2016, she worked in Nepal, East Timor/Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Japan with the UN-OHCHR, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Peace Operations (UNTAET, UNAMET) and other UN offices and entities, as well as in the academia. Her publications include: Holding UNPOL to Account: Individual Criminal Accountability of United Nations Police Personnel (Brill, 2017).
Lauren Power
Lauren Power is a Research Fellow and Graduate Student at the University of Tokyo focusing on expatriate identity, mobility, social cohesion and social structuralism. Lauren is the Founder and Country Leader for Japan for the Migration Working Group of the UN MGCY. She is also the Co-founder of the University of Tokyo Violence Against Women Working Group (UT VAW). In 2020, Lauren was appointed Head Delegate of the American Delegation to the G20 Youth Summit (Y20) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and was selected for the Global Dialogue Fellowship. Lauren has worked as an Intern and Official for the OECD, an entrepreneur starting her own consultancy, and a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal for Human Security Studies Special Edition.
Hanjun Song
Hanjun Song is a student from the University of Tokyo’s Department of Arts and Sciences. Within this program, she is focusing her studies on International Law, Human Rights Issues, and Humanitarian Assistance. She is particularly interested in issues such as sexual violence and protection toward vulnerable populations in the emergency through an international legal approach. Other than that, Hanjun is also concerned with a wide range of international issues such as international politics and international trade.
Timothy Massie
Timothy Massie is a graduate of the University of Tokyo and studied Japan in East Asia in the PEAK program. As the winner of the Japan National Round of the 2020 ICRC International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Moot Court Competition, he and his team are representing Japan in the Asia-Pacific Round of the same competition. On top of IHL, he also has an interest in International Human Rights Law.
Kai Kurosu
Kai Kurosu is a student in the University of Tokyo’s Programs in English at Komaba (PEAK) program, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in the Japan in East Asia (Humanities/Social Sciences) stream. Along with two teammates, he placed first nationally in the 2022 ICRC International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition Japan Round. Upon the invitation of ICRC Japan, he represented Japan at the 21st Asia-Pacific IHL Moot Court Competition in March 2023, held in Hong Kong. Apart from IHL, he is interested in international relations, politics, and social justice, and works as an intern for the U.S. Department of State.
Jihyun Lee
Jihyun Lee is a PEAK student at the University of Tokyo, pursuing a degree in Japan in East Asia. Together with her team, she placed first in the Japan National Round of the 2022 ICRC International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition. Jihyun and her team represented Japan in the 2023 Asia Pacific Round of the competition. In addition to IHL and human rights, her research interests include global governance and regional cooperation in East Asia.
Seungmin (Kevin) Yang
Seungmin (Kevin) Yang is currently a student at the University of Tokyo, studying in the Japan in East Asia stream of the PEAK program. Along with his teammates, he placed second at the Japan Round of the 2023 ICRC International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition. Besides IHL, he is interested in international relations, political theory, and public policy.
Hyejune Park
Hyejune Park is currently a student at the University of Tokyo, studying in the Japan in East Asia stream of the PEAK program. She placed second in the Japan National Round of the 2023 ICRC International Humanitarian Law Role play Competition. She has a strong passion for social issues linked with humanitarian needs therefore would love to learn and experience more about it.
Mona Tang
Mona Tang is a Master's student in the Human Security Program at the University of Tokyo. She has participated in both the 2023 ICRC International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Moot Court Competition Japan Round and 2023 ICRC Role Play Competition Japan Round. Along with other five teammates, she placed runner-up prizes in both competitions. During January to April 2024, she worked as an intern at the ICRC Delegation in Japan. Apart from IHL, she is interested in international human rights law, feminism, religion, postcolonial studies, and international relations.
Alice Saito
Alice Saito is a second-year PEAK student at the University of Tokyo studying in the Japan in East Asia stream. She participated in the Japan National Round of the 2023 International Humanitarian Law Role Play Competition, placing second along with her team. She has a strong interest in human rights law and international relations and has developed an interest in humanitarian law through participating in IHL.
Suyeon Bae
Suyeon Bae is an undergraduate student at the University of Tokyo, enrolled in the PEAK Program’s Japan in East Asia stream. She placed first in the Japan National Round of the 2024 ICRC IHL Role Play Competition and participated in the 2024 IHL Moot Court Competition. She also took part in the 2025 Jean-Pictet Competition held in Bali. Through these hands-on International Humanitarian Law competitions, she strengthened her strong commitment to public interest and international legal practice.
Hannah Payne
Hannah Payne was an undergraduate student at the University of Tokyo and studied in the PEAK Program’s Japan in East Asia stream. She placed first in the Japan National Round of the 2024 ICRC IHL Role Play Competition and participated in the 2024 IHL Moot Court Competition. Additionally, Hannah participated in the 2025 Jean-Pictet Competition held in Bali. She found the hands on aspect of IHL role play competitions rewarding and has developed a strong interest in legal practice.
Hitoha Negoro
Hitoha Negoro is a second-year Bachelor’s student in civil engineering at the University of Tokyo. She participated in the 2024 Japan National Round of both the International Humanitarian Law Moot Court and Role Play Competitions, becoming national champion for Role Play. As a result, the ICRC invited and funded the team to compete in the 47th edition Jean-Pictet Competition, hosted in Bali, Indonesia. Her work is driven by a commitment to addressing complex global challenges such as conflict and climate change by integrating policy, ethics, and technology.
Evelyne Chua
Evelyne Chua is a student at the University of Tokyo, studying in the Faculty of Law, where she majors in Political Science. Her team entered the semifinals of the 2025 ICRC International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition‘s Japan National Round. She also participated in the 2025 ICRC Role Play Competition Japan National Round. She has a strong interest in international relations and politics, and is working towards joining Singapore’s foreign service.
Marie Kobayashi
Marie Kobayashi is a Master’s student in the Human Security Programme at the University of Tokyo, specialising in international relations and public international law. She participated in the National Round of the 2025 ICRC International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition, in which her team went through the semifinals and won the Best Memorial Award.
Haruka Ueno
Haruka Ueno is a student of the University of Tokyo’s College of Arts and Sciences, studying international relations. She participated in the Japan National Round of the 2025 International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition, serving as the first oralist for both Prosecutor and Defendant. She has a strong interest in international humanitarian law and international relations.
Former Members and Associates
Raymond Andaya
Raymond Andaya is a Ph.D. researcher and MEXT scholar at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo. He was a lecturer at the International Studies Department of De La Salle University in Manila, the Philippines. He received double-degree Masters in International Public Policy and Asian Studies from the Osaka School of International Public Policy and De La Salle University, respectively. His research interests are in the fields of peace and conflict studies and transitional justice.
Urara Furukawa
Urara Furukawa is in the graduate programme of Human Security at the University of Tokyo. She has worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) extensively in the field and the headquarters settings, including in South East Asia, Central Asia, Near East and Europe in operations involving refugees, internally displaced and stateless people. Her most recent assignments were the Senior Protection Officer for the Central Asian region (2017-2019) and the Head of Field Office in Maungdaw, Myanmar (2015-2017). She has a B.A. from Sophia (Jochi) University and an M.A. from the University of Sussex. Her research interests include the human rights of refugees, stateless people and the relationship between the state and citizenship.
Joshi Dinesh
Joshi Ratala Dinesh Prasad is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in the ‘Human Security Program’ at the University of Tokyo. His research interest lies in “children”, “education” and “migration.” In recent years, he has been closely studying how migration of semi and low skilled workers has impacted the enjoyment of educational rights of their children. He has worked as an intern for a Japanese NGO “C-Rights” (2018-2019). He has an experience of conducting field research on ‘refugees’ based in Malaysia (2017) and Nepal (2019).
Chihiro Toya
Chihiro Toya is a Ph.D. researcher in the Graduate Program of Human Security at the University of Tokyo. Since 2016, she has been actively researching sex worker activism in Thailand, and sexual violence issues in Japan. She served as vice president for the youth group, Plan International - an international development and humanitarian organisation, to advocate children’s rights and equality for girls. She is a member of the Tottoko Gender Movement, a grassroots group at the University of Tokyo. She has worked with her university to support incoming students by creating her university's official bystander intervention booklet against sexual discrimination and violence, which was distributed to all first-year students during orientation week in 2020. Her current research focuses on participatory action research - the process in which those who are marginalised participate in the investigation to combat exclusion, inequality, and stigma.
Satoko Haru
Satoko Haru was a Research Assistant at the Research Centre for Sustainable Peace at the University of Tokyo. Her research focuses predominantly on the theories of human security and human rights, with a particular focus on the protection of rights for refugees. More recently she volunteered at a refugee camp in Samos, Greece where she helped set up a safe house for refugee women and an education center for young adults. She is also a member of the Human Security Forum and holds a B.A. in International Relations and an M.A. in Peace Studies from the International Christian University. She is currently involved in the project on human rights best practices by non-State actors.
Yuxin Tian
Yuxin Tian is a graduate of the Faculty of Law of the University of Tokyo. She placed first in the Japan National Round of the 2022 Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Yuxin is concerned with a wide range of international issues from international dispute resolution to commercial surrogacy regulation. She has worked as an intern for the China Academy of Arbitration Law, and she is also a member of the Young International Arbitration Group of the London Court of international Arbitration.
Himena Miyashita
Himena Miyashita is a currently a PEAK student at the University of Tokyo, studying in the Japan in East Asia stream. She placed first in the Japan National Round of the 2021 ICRC International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition, and is representing Japan in the Asia Pacific Round of the same competition together with her team in 2022. Through the competition, she has developed a strong interest in international law and international relations. On top of these, she is also interested in environmental sustainability.
Jenna Stallard
Jenna Stallard is a student at the University of Tokyo, studying in the Japan in East Asia stream of the PEAK program. She placed first in the Japan National Round of the 2021 ICRC International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition. As well as international law, she has a strong interest in international relations and politics.
Mei Kanehara
Mei Kanehara is a graduate of the University of Tokyo. She placed first in the Japan National Round of the 2020 ICRC International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition. She has a strong passion for the field of international law and international relations.
Chris Clayton
Chris Clayton is a graduate of the University of Tokyo and studied in the Japan in East Asia stream of the PEAK program. He placed first in the Japan National Round of the 2020 ICRC International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition. His interests range from the field of IR to Sustainable Development, and he has recently developed an interest in both International and Environmental Law.
Issa Shiraishi
Issa Shiraishi is a Master's student at the University of Tokyo. He placed first in both the Asia-Pacific Round of the ICRC International Humanitarian Law Role Play Competition and the Japan National Round of the 2019 ICRC International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition. The ICRC has also invited and funded the team to compete in the 2019 Jean-Pictet Competition, to be hosted in Indonesia, as well as the Asia-Pacific Round of the IHL Moot Court Competition in Hong Kong.
Paul Namkoong
Paul Namkoong is a graduate of the Programs in English at Komaba (PEAK) of the University of Tokyo. He placed first in both the Asia-Pacific Round of the ICRC International Humanitarian Law Role Play Competition and the Japan National Round of the 2019 ICRC International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition.
Amishi Agrawal
Amishi Agrawal is a graduate of the Programs in English at Komaba (PEAK) of the University of Tokyo. She placed first in the Asia-Pacific Round of the ICRC International Humanitarian Law Role Play Competition. The ICRC has also invited and funded the team to compete in the 2019 Jean-Pictet Competition, to be hosted in Indonesia.
Takenori Yamazaki
Takenori Yamazaki is a graduate of the University of Tokyo. He won the following: 8th International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition Japan Regional Round: the Best Council, 9th International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition Japan Regional Round: the Best Council, 2018 Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition Japan National Round: the 1st Prize and the Best Oralist, 2019 Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition Japan National Round: the 1st Prize and the Best Oralist, and 2018 Panjnad International Moot Court Competition: the Best Oralist.
Fei Tong
Fei Tong graduated from the Department of Law at the University of Tokyo. She won first place in the 2018 and 2019 Japan National Round of the ICRC International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition, won first place in the 2018 ICRC International Humanitarian Law Role Play Competition, and was a finalist in the subsequent Asia-Pacific Round. Her research focused on the intricacies of territorial ambitions in lowering the threshold of proof for determining international armed conflicts.