On 17 November 2016 Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL) hosted a public lecture on “Major Trends and Policy Goals: From Asia to the World in Partnership with the EU” presented by His Excellency Masafumi Ishii, the Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Belgium. About the Ambassador: His Excellency Masafumi Ishii has been the Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Belgium since 2014, having joined Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1980. Throughout his 35 year career, he has been deeply involved in the policy planning and security policy fields among others. Before his mission in Brussels, he was Legal Advisor to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was in the core group for preparing a series of new security policies, including establishing the National Security Strategy and finalizing the historic cabinet decision to change the interpretation of the Constitution. Since September 2014, he has been posted to Brussels as Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Belgium and is concurrently the Representative of the Government of Japan to NATO. He is also appointed Ambassador in charge of Public Diplomacy in Europe.