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Mina Pollmann

Mina Erika Pollmann is a Ph.D. candidate in international relations and security studies at MIT’s Department of Political Science.

Mina Erika Pollmann is currently a Ph.D. candidate at MIT’s Department of Political Science. She is a recipient of the Walter A. Rosenblith Presidential Graduate Fellowship and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Her research interests focus on rising powers, power transitions, the role of beliefs in international relations, and Japan’s security and diplomacy.

She received her Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, majoring in International Politics with a concentration in Foreign Policy.

Her research has been published in Australian Journal of International Affairs, Georgetown Journal of Asian Affairs, Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs, and by various think tanks.

Posts by Mina Pollmann

March 21, 2023

What’s Driving the Japan-South Korea Thaw?

By Mina Pollmann

Between China and North Korea, the logic for increased Japan-South Korea cooperation is clear. All that was lacking was political will.

February 07, 2023

Japan, China Hold Foreign Minister Call Days After NATO Chief’s Visit

By Mina Pollmann

Tokyo continues to try to keep relations with Beijing stable even as it deepens military cooperation with NATO and other partners.

January 18, 2023

Japan, US Emphasize Security Cooperation During Kishida Visit

By Mina Pollmann

The Japanese prime minister's U.S. visit, and the latest 2+2 consultations, emphasized an even-closer alliance amid Japan's changing security posture.

December 16, 2022

How Can Japan Help Taiwan?

By Mina Pollmann

Aside from visits by high-ranking LDP politicians, there are equally important, if less high-profile, changes Japan can make.

December 06, 2022

Japan’s Ruling Coalition Approves Counterstrike Capability

By Mina Pollmann

The long-debated move comes alongside increased defense spending amid worries about Japan's security environment.

November 19, 2022

The Limits of Kishida’s China Outreach

By Mina Pollmann

The Japanese prime minister held his first in-person meeting with China’s Xi Jinping, but he faces tight limits in how far he can push the relationship.

November 14, 2022

Germany Solidifies Ties With Japan Before Scholz’s China Trip

By Mina Pollmann

Germany's president visited Japan just a few days before a Japan-Germany 2+2.

October 24, 2022

Japan’s Ruling Coalition Debates Future Defense Policies

By Mina Pollmann

The LDP and its junior coalition party, Komeito, are at odds over issues like Japan's counterstrike capability and defense budget increases.

October 08, 2022

Abe Shinzo’s Political Faction to Select a New Leader

By Mina Pollmann

The former prime minister still headed up the LDP's largest legislative faction at the time of his assassination. Can the next leader keep the group intact?

September 26, 2022

What Did Japan’s Kishida Do at the UN General Assembly?

By Mina Pollmann

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio had a packed schedule on the sidelines on the U.N. General Assembly.

September 07, 2022

NPT Conference Collapse, Military Drills Further Strain Japan-Russia Relations

By Mina Pollmann

Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine has seriously damaged Russia-Japan relations, and the fallout continues to be felt.

August 05, 2022

Kishida Becomes First Japanese PM to Attend NPT Review Conference

By Mina Pollmann

Kishida's appearance at the review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is a sign of his personal interest in nuclear disarmament.