How Can We Prepare for Health Crises in an Increasingly Divided International Community?

International politics is the academic field that studies from various angles the major theme of how to maintain order in an international community without a world government. I have been conducting research on the management of global infectious disease problems from the perspective of international politics.

The international community is divided into nearly 200 countries, such as Japan, China, and the United States, and each state is fundamentally free to manage its own affairs, including the management of infectious diseases. However, infectious diseases freely cross borders. Therefore, some form of cross-border management framework becomes necessary. The collection of frameworks that have been formed in this way is called global health governance.

The movement to manage infectious diseases on a global scale began in earnest in 19th-century Europe. Since then, there have been periods when international cooperation on infectious diseases was treated as a "non-political" activity. Also, after World War II, thanks to the benefits of scientific and technological development, there was a time when the problem of infectious diseases was perceived as an issue for developing countries.

However, due to various factors such as the increase in drug-resistant bacteria, the effects of climate change, and the growing interdependence between nations, infectious diseases have in recent years become, in the truest sense, a global problem. The COVID-19 pandemic can be said to have demonstrated this clearly. In this context, the management of infectious diseases has become closely intertwined with trends in international politics.

Unfortunately, no country can be self-sufficient in its infectious disease control measures. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan strengthened its border control measures, such as during the Omicron variant outbreak, but ultimately could not completely prevent the influx of the virus. It is also a fact that Japan was helped by cooperation with other countries regarding vaccines and masks, and in turn, helped others. In other words, it is impossible to control infectious diseases alone in this international community.

On the other hand, outbreaks can start suddenly, regardless of wars or political conflicts. In fact, as of September 2024, global concern is growing over the spread of Mpox. The problem is how we should prepare for infectious diseases that freely cross borders in an international community where political division has progressed to this extent.

In my book, "The Future of Global Infectious Diseases: The Multilayering of Health Governance in a Divided World" (Akashi Shoten, 2024), published in October 2024, I discussed how countries have attempted to address this dilemma by strengthening efforts at the regional and like-minded country levels, and I focused on the emergence of many innovations, such as attempts to connect multiple regions or to link the regional and global levels.

However, that is as far as I can go as a researcher. As I argued in the book, implementation requires political will, and I feel that the involvement and cooperation of diverse actors are essential to properly prepare for the next infectious disease.

In my lectures and seminars at the Keio University Faculty of Law and the Graduate School of Law and Politics, students can learn about the current situation and challenges related to the management of various global issues, including the management of infectious diseases. I look forward to meeting motivated students.