Announcement of Open Access (Free Access) to the Conference Proceedings of the 47th Annual Conference on Oceans Law & Policy

The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) supported the transition to open access for the edited volume of conference proceedings, Challenges in Oceans Law and Policy: The South Pacific and Latin America (Brill, 2026), with the aim of enhancing the international dissemination of research findings in the fields of the law of the sea and territorial issues. The research papers compiled in this volume are now freely accessible online for viewing and downloading.

Overview of the Volume

Published by Brill, this volume is a collection of scholarly papers arising from the 47th Annual Conference on Oceans Law & Policy, held in September 2024 in Lima, Peru. The conference was hosted by the U.S. Naval War College, the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute, and other partner institutions. 

Each year, JIIA supports leading researchers in the fields of ocean security and international law to participate in this conference. The volume includes research papers by experts whose participation was sponsored and supported by JIIA.

[Event Report for which JIIA supported the speakers]
https://www.jiia.or.jp/eng/event/2024/09/20240917-01.html

Content

This volume brings together expert analyses of key challenges currently confronting the law of the sea order, including the following chapters:

Chapter 1
Deep Seabed Minerals in U.S.–China Strategic Competition
James Kraska, Professor, Stockton Center for International Law, U.S. Naval War College

Chapter 3 
Assault on Latin American Fisheries by China’s Distant Water Fishing Fleet
Raul (Pete) Pedrozo, Professor, Stockton Center for International Law, U.S. Naval War College

Chapter 5 
Reassessing the Definition of Piracy: The Legal Status of Houthis’ Maritime Attacks
Kentaro Furuya, Professor, Japan Coast Guard Academy

Chapter 7
China’s Maritime Governance under Xi Jinping and Its Implications for the International Community
Chisako T. Masuo, Professor, Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University

Significance of the Volume

Each paper addresses urgent issues facing the international community—including deep seabed mineral resources under U.S.–China strategic competition, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the legal characterization of the Houthis’ maritime attacks, and China’s maritime governance—and offers incisive analysis. The volume also provides comprehensive legal examination of emerging technologies and environmental protection, offering a panoramic view of the recent developments in the law of the sea order.

Details of the book and the full-text download are available via the publisher’s link below.
[Brill Book Page (Open Access)]
https://brill.com/display/title/72740