Koji Enomoto is a PhD candidate in International Relations at the Hitotsubashi University. Previously, he worked as an intern at the Center for the Promotion of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (CPDNP), Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) as well as a special advisor for Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) issues at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organizations in Vienna and a researcher at the Office of Atomic Energy Policy Secretariat of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC). He has also served as a research fellow of the Japan-U.S. Partnership Program at the Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS), Tokyo. He specializes in international relations and is mainly focusing on international security including nuclear arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. His doctoral dissertation focuses on international norms against nuclear testing and the CTBT. He received his B.A. in law from Kansai University and his M.A. in international relations from International Christian University. He is a member of the executive board of the International Student and Young Pugwash (ISYP).  

 At the GSIR Young Scholars Session, Mr. Koji Enomoto shared his doctoral research entitled ‘International Norms against Nuclear Testing’. His presentation did not only cover the discussion on his research analysis but also the design of the doctoral research.

 Mr. Enomoto’s research focused on why/how the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) works. He opted India, Pakistan, and North Korea as his research case studies. In order to find the answer, Mr. Koji Enomoto employed historical analysis approach by analysing the history of the concept of nuclear-test-ban from 1950s and the process of CTBT negotiation in 1990s. He used official documents, publication, and interviews to get the sources for his research. For the theoretical approach, Mr. Enomoto utilized ‘norm cascade / lifecycle’ model.

 Mr. Enomoto also explained the process in choosing his dissertation theme as well as the research methodology. Furthermore, he gave some suggestions on how he does his research, including how to collect materials and find connections for interview. Understanding the previous studies is also crucial as it strengthens the contribution of our research. Collecting resources from official documents became paramount for his research as those materials help him to reinforce the research argument. In addition, he recommended to give presentations at academic societies, if possible, in order to gain feedbacks from various scholars. This session provided great opportunities for the graduate students of Ritsumeikan University to learn how to design their research.