IMF UTokyo Joint Conference on State of Globalization
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- IMF UTokyo Joint Conference on State of Globalization
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Contact
For event inquiries:
International Monetary Fund
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Tel. 81-(0)3-3597-6700
Email: OAPEconomicSeminar@IMF.org
Overview
- The conference was co-organized by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Center for Advanced Research in Finance (CARF) at The University of Tokyo.
- The event focused on how globalization is changing due to technological change, the return of trade and industrial policy activism, and growing geopolitical tensions.
- The two-day conference offered a platform to discuss research on trade, financial and other flows, and the policies that underpin globalization, concluding with a policy panel on the future of globalization.
- Participation was by invitation only.
Organizers and Convenors
- Organized under the IMF Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (OAP) activities: Asia-Pacific Regional Seminar Series, High-level Economic Policy Conferences, Peer-to-Peer Learning, Macroeconomist Training Program, Japan-IMF Scholarship Program for Asia.
- Conference organizers: Anne Oeking (OAP, IMF), Michele Ruta (SPR, IMF), Kenichi Ueda (CARF, UTokyo).
Date and Location
- The conference was held in Tokyo, Japan, April 4-5, 2025.
- Saturday, April 5, 2025 sessions were offered in-person at Kojima Hall (Session 4) and Fukutake Hall (Policy Panel), The University of Tokyo, and virtually via Zoom.
- Time zone for sessions: Japan Standard Time (UTC/GMT +9).
Key Themes and Focus Areas
- Trade and financial patterns
- Supply chains, resilience, and structural transformation
- Policies including industrial policy and domestic adjustment
- Implications for the trade and monetary system
- The future of globalization and adapting to shifting international dynamics
Agenda and Session Highlights
- Opening Session (April 4, 2025)
- 9:00 AM — Welcome Remarks: Akihiko Yoshida, Director, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (OAP), IMF
- 9:05 AM — Opening Speech: Atsushi Mimura, Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs, Japan Ministry of Finance
- 9:20 AM — Keynote Address: “Globalization in Flux: Navigating Uncertainty, Embracing Opportunity” — Richard Baldwin, IMD Business School; followed by Q&A
- 10:20 AM — Coffee Break
- Session 1: Trade and Financial Patterns (April 4, 2025)
- 10:40 AM — Moderator: Anne Oeking, OAP, IMF
- Presentations:
- “Changing Global Linkages” — Andrea Filippo Presbitero, Research Department (RES), IMF; Petia Borissova Topalova, RES, IMF
- “Geopolitical Risk and Trade” — Alen Mulabdic, World Bank
- “Bilateral Trade in Services” — Robert Zymek, RES, IMF
- Discussant: Heiwai Tang, University of Hong Kong
- Q&A
- 12:20 PM — Lunch Break
- Session 2: Supply Chains, Resilience and Structural Transformation (April 4, 2025)
- 1:30 PM — Moderator: Petia Borissova Topalova, RES, IMF
- Presentations:
- “Fragmentation and the Future of GVCs” — Alessandro Borin, European Central Bank/Bank of Italy; Michele Mancini, European Central Bank/Bank of Italy
- “The International Footprint of Global Firms and the Realignment of Supply Chains” — Han Qiu, Bank for International Settlements (BIS); Hyun Song Shin, BIS; Leanne Si Ying Zhang, Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA)
- “Structural Transformation in Asia and the Pacific” — Rahul Giri, Asia and Pacific Department (APD), IMF; Chikako Baba, APD, IMF
- Discussant: Zoe Zhang, The University of Tokyo
- Q&A
- 3:10 PM — Coffee Break
- Session 3: Policies (April 4, 2025)
- 3:30 PM — Moderator: Taiji Furusawa, The University of Tokyo
- Presentations:
- “China plus 1” — Caroline Freund, School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California, San Diego
- “Industrial Policy” — Samuel Jaime Pienknagura Loor, RES, IMF
- “Domestic Policies for Adjustment” — Prachi Mishra, Ashoka University
- Discussant: Ayako Obashi, Keio University
- Q&A
- 5:10 PM — End of Day 1
- Session 4: Implications for the Trade and Monetary System (April 5, 2025)
- 9:00 AM — Moderator: Ken Kang, Strategy, Policy, and Review Department (SPR), IMF
- Presentations:
- “Industrial Revolutions and Global Imbalances” — Alexander Monge-Naranjo, European University Institute (EUI); Kenichi Ueda, The University of Tokyo; Konstantin Kucheryavvy, City University of New York
- “Geopolitics and the Trade System” — Michele Ruta, SPR, IMF
- “International Monetary System” — Barry Eichengreen, University of California, Berkeley
- Discussant: Sangyup Choi, Yonsei University
- 10:40 AM — Closing Remarks: Kenichi Ueda, The University of Tokyo
- 10:45 AM — Coffee Break
- Policy Panel: The Future of Globalization – Adapting to Shifting International Dynamics (April 5, 2025)
- 11:05 AM — Moderator: Richard Baldwin, IMD Business School
- Panelists:
- Veerathai Santiprabhob, Former Governor, Bank of Thailand
- Hideyasu Tamura, Deputy Director-General for International Trade Negotiation, Trade Policy Bureau, Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
- Xinquan Tu, Dean, China Institute for WTO Studies, University of International Business and Economics
- Beatrice Weder di Mauro, Geneva Graduate Institute, President of Center for Economic Policy Research
- Q&A
- 12:35 PM — End of Day 2
Participants and Presenters
- Presenters and discussants included IMF staff (RES, SPR, APD, OAP), central bank and international organization researchers (BIS, World Bank, HKMA), academic scholars from institutions including IMD Business School, University of California, Berkeley, University of Hong Kong, The University of Tokyo, Keio University, Yonsei University, European University Institute, and others.