Yuko Kasuya Becomes IPSA’s 28th President

Photo (left to right): IPSA Past President Pablo Oñate and IPSA President Yuko Kasuya

Yuko Kasuya (Japan), who was elected President-Elect by the IPSA Council in 2023, officially assumed the role of IPSA President on 15 July, following the election of President-Elect Hasret Dikici Bilgin (Türkiye) by the Council at the 2025 IPSA World Congress of Political Science in Seoul. 

Succeeding Pablo Oñate (Spain), Prof. Kasuya will serve a two-year term from 2025 to 2027. She is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the Faculty of Law of Keio University, Tokyo, Japan. Her primary research field is comparative politics, with a particular focus on regime transition, political institutions, Southeast Asia, especially the Philippines, as well as East Asia, particularly Japan. Prof. Kasuya is currently engaged in research examining democratic backsliding, polarization, and disinformation. She has published two single-authored books, nine edited volumes, and numerous articles both in English and Japanese. She holds a Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of California, San Diego, an M.A. in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands, and a B.A. in Law from Keio University. 

Professor Kasuya served on the IPSA Executive Committee from 2016 to 2018, and again from 2018 to 2021, during which she held the position of IPSA Vice-President. She was President of the Japan Association of Comparative Politics from 2022 to 2024 and has been serving as Director of the V-Dem East Asia Regional Center since 2019.

On behalf of IPSA and the global political science community, we congratulate Prof. Kasuya on becoming the 28th IPSA President.

Please find below Prof. Kasuya’s Presidential Mission Statement, presented at the IPSA Council on 15 July 2025.

Dear colleagues and distinguished members of the global political science community, 

It is a tremendous honor to serve you as the newly inaugurated President of the International Political Science Association. I am deeply humbled by the trust you have placed in me. 

Two years ago, at the World Congress in Buenos Aires, I had the privilege of addressing the Council as the newly elected President-Elect. The core message then remains unchanged today: I owe a profound debt of gratitude to the discipline of political science. It has transformed my life, taking me from the small, remote island in Japan where I grew up to the leadership of one of the world’s largest and most truly international political science associations. With this deep sense of gratitude, my presidency will be guided by a simple principle: in every decision I make, I will ask whether it serves the interests of the next generation of political scientists in all corners of the world. 

Over the past two years, I have had the privilege of serving on the Executive Committee under the leadership of President Pablo Oñate and Immediate Past President Dianne Pinderhughes. I also served as a member of the EC from 2016 to 2018 during the presidency of Ilter Turan, and as Vice President from 2018 to 2021 under Marianne Kneuer’s presidency. Observing their leadership up close has fully prepared me to take the baton with confidence and humility.  

As we embark on this new chapter in IPSA’s history, we stand at a critical moment. The global political landscape is increasingly volatile. The liberal international order established after World War II appears to be unraveling, and the challenges facing democracy and political institutions have grown more complex and urgent. At the same time, rapid advancements in artificial intelligence are transforming the nature of knowledge and expertise, rendering once-sought-after skills obsolete in a matter of weeks. For many of us, keeping pace with these technological and methodological shifts can feel overwhelming. And yet, in these challenges lie opportunities, that is, opportunities for greater collaboration, renewed purpose, and innovation.

With this context in mind, I’d like to outline five key priorities that will shape my presidency and the work of the new Executive Committee.

First, we must continue to strengthen the research capacity of underrepresented regions, with a particular focus on African political science communities. To this end, we will establish a Task Force on African Engagement to design and implement initiatives that support this goal. A flagship initiative will be the launch of an online workshop series tailored for African scholars, offering them sustained opportunities to present their work, receive mentorship, and connect with global networks. 

Second, building on our pilot Work-in-Progress (WiPS) Workshop in 2024, we will institutionalize this initiative as a regular IPSA event. Held between World Congresses, these online workshops will provide an accessible, collaborative space where scholars from all backgrounds and regions can share and refine their research. This initiative will help IPSA remain a vibrant, year-round scholarly hub in addition to our biannual World Congress. 

Third, we must continue to diversify and expand IPSA’s publication portfolio to better reflect the richness and breadth of our discipline. During the previous term, the EC laid the groundwork for a new IPSA journal, Governance Review, which is scheduled to be launched by 2027. In addition to our flagship journal, International Political Science Review, this new publication will serve as a platform for critical and original research by political scientists. We are also in discussion with a major international publisher to develop a book series tentatively titled Global Politics, which will highlight research from previously understudied regions and perspectives. 

Fourth, to serve our members effectively and equitably, we must ensure our internal governance is clear, transparent, and responsive. To this end, we will establish an Interim Committee on Governance Review to assess and harmonize our institutional practices. While IPSA’s foundational principles, established in 1949, remain sound, our operational rules and procedures must evolve to reflect the realities of our current organizational and technological environment. 

Finally, in collaboration with the Secretariat staff, we will enhance the IPSA website to make it more user-friendly, accessible, and up-to-date. As a first step, we are preparing to launch a new Research Committee Management Platform. This tool will support RC chairs and members in organizing their activities more efficiently and will make it easier for IPSA members to join and engage with RCs. Additional upgrades to the website will follow in due course. 

These goals may seem ambitious, but with your continued support, I am confident they are well within our reach. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working alongside scholars and members of the IPSA Secretariat who are dedicated to IPSA’s mission. In many ways, my presidency stands on the shoulders of this collective, which we often refer to as the IPSA family. At this World Congress in Seoul, we are expanding that family even further. With such a strong and growing community behind us, I believe we have every reason to be ambitious.

Thank you once again for trusting me to serve as your President. I look forward to working with you all to strengthen the IPSA community and develop our goals and activities for the future generation of political scientists.