Juha Saunavaara

The circumstances around the Arctic are changing and the number of actors having claims concerning the region or possessing interest in it is great. The causes and effects of these changes are not limited to the immediate shores of the Arctic Ocean. My research approaches the Arctic and northern regions from the perspective of international cooperation and regional development.

Besides being interested in the past, present and future bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation between Arctic and non-Arctic states and regions (especially Japan and Hokkaido), I am involved in research concerning the local effects of the global change. In other words, I am analyzing the regional development policies (and policy-making processes) especially in Hokkaido and northern Scandinavia to understand how different initiatives bound to the changing Arctic are incorporated into the public policies and strategies of private actors.

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At the moment, I am conducting research focusing on infrastructure and connectivity in and through the Arctic (for example: submarine fiber-optic cable projects planning to connect East Asia, North America and Europe through the Arctic waters); the development of northern and Arctic data center industry; subnational authorities' international cooperation; and Arctic tourism.

I have published in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes representing various fields reaching from Arctic and Japanese studies to history, geography, tourism and international relations.

Issues close to my hearth: industry-academia-government cooperation; Finnish-Japanese relations and cooperation