The Future of Global Infectious Diseases: Multi-layered Health Governance in a Fragmenting World

I have been researching global infectious disease management from the perspective of international politics. During this time, the publication of my previous book, Humanity and Disease: Infectious Diseases and Health Disparities from the Perspective of International Politics (Chuko Shinsho, 2020), unexpectedly coincided with the pandemic of the century. Since then, while trembling at the threat of the pandemic, I spent my days directly experiencing my research subject. From March 2023, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to conduct research with collaborators in France for one year. Now that we have overcome the pandemic and are moving to a new stage, I recognized the need to compile and publish my research from the past few years, leading to the publication of this book in October 2024.

Currently, the international community is facing multiple wars and political divisions are deepening. However, infectious diseases are things that start suddenly and spread across borders regardless of such circumstances. In the present day, where various emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are prevalent due to non-medical reasons such as climate change and urbanization, infectious diseases are literally strengthening their global character. Therefore, each country's response to infectious diseases inevitably becomes strategic and political.

Infectious diseases that cross borders require global cooperation, but against the backdrop of the deepening political divisions and the politicization of infectious disease responses mentioned above, the framework for global cooperation is in extreme turmoil. Nevertheless, since no country can be self-sufficient in its response to infectious diseases, we must find ways to cooperate in some form. In this book, I examined this dilemma by focusing on cooperation in smaller units, such as between regions or like-minded countries, as well as organizational innovation. I also discussed Japan's role. Overall, this book discusses the issue of how to approach infectious disease management as a global challenge in an international society where political division is becoming more serious, from a multifaceted perspective.

In January 2025, the second Trump administration will be inaugurated in the United States, and it is expected that global international cooperation will face increasing difficulties. In such an environment, I hope to provide clues for thinking realistically about how we should prepare for the "next" one.

The Future of Global Infectious Diseases: Multi-layered Health Governance in a Fragmenting World

Kayo Takuma

Akashi Shoten

244 pages, 2,970 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.