On 5 September 2025, the International House of Japan (IHJ), in collaboration with the Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), convened an IHJ-HGPI roundtable with Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, to discuss biosecurity, BioRadar early warning system, and pandemic preparedness.

The roundtable featured keynote remarks by Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and former White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator (April 2022 – June2023). He was joined for a moderated discussion with three leading experts: Dr. Stephanie Psaki, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Global Health Security, Brown University School of Public Health / Former U.S. Coordinator for Global Health Security at the White House; Dr. Nikki Romanik, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Global Health Security, Brown University School of Public Health / Former Deputy Director of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy; Hon. Andy Weber, Senior Fellow at the Council on Strategic Risks / former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Programs.

Bringing together approximately 40 practitioners and experts from government, academia, and the private sector, the roundtable explored practical approaches to strengthening biosecurity and health-system resilience. Key themes included bio surveillance, early detection of bio threats, rapid diagnostics, proactive development of medical countermeasures, and effective public communication during health emergencies. Participants also discussed the potential of early-warning concepts such as BioRadar and the importance of international collaboration—particularly U.S.–Japan partnerships—across government, research, and industry.

At the opening of the session, James Kondo, Chairman of IHJ, welcomed the participating experts from the Brown University and Japan, and highlighted the importance of collaboration between IHJ and HGPI, Japan’s leading health policy think tank, in the fields of public health and health security.

During the roundtable, Ryoji Noritake, Chair of HGPI, also stressed that in health policy—including infectious-disease response, where a security perspective is increasingly essential—it will be vital to continue working together with IHJ, which brings expertise and think-tank functions in geopolitics and geoeconomics, to design and implement diverse joint programs.

In closing, Hon. Keizo Takemi, former Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, delivered remarks reflecting on the day’s discussions and expressed his appreciation for IHJ and HGPI’s co-hosting of the roundtable.