Robert Ward hosts Dr Sheila Smith, Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and Dr Jeffrey Hornung, the Japan Lead for the RAND National Security Research Division.

Robert, Sheila and Jeffrey discuss:  

• Japan’s strategic landscape under Trump 2.0, including insights for PM Ishiba from Abe’s successful approach
• Japan’s defence policy challenges under Trump 2.0, including potential US demands for increased financial contributions to the security alliance.
• The future of minilateral security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific under Trump 2.0, notably QUAD and AUKUS

The following books are recommended by our guests to gain a clearer picture of the topics discussed:  

• Abe Shinzo, Abe Shinzo Kaiko Roku [Abe Shinzo Memoir] (Tokyo: Chuokoron-Shinsha, Inc., 2023), 480pp.
• Funabashi Yoichi, Shukumei no Ko Volume 1: Abe Shinzou Seiken Kuronikuru [Destiny Child on Abe Shinzo Administration Chronicles Volume 1] (Tokyo: Bungeishunju Ltd., 2024), 560pp.
• Funabashi Yoichi, Shukumei no Ko Volume 2: Abe Shinzou Seiken Kuronikuru [Destiny Child on Abe Shinzo Administration Chronicles Volume 2] (Tokyo: Bungeishunju Ltd., 2024), 640pp.
• John W Dower, Embracing Defeat – Japan in the Wake of World War II, (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000), 688pp.
• Nakae Chomin, A Discourse by Three Drunkards on Government, (Tokyo: Weatherhill Inc., 1992), 144pp.

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on your podcast platform of choice. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at japanchair@iiss.org. 

Date recorded: 4 December 2024  

Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert Ward is joined by Bill Emmott, Chairman of the IISS Trustees, Murano Masashi, a senior fellow with Hudson Institute’s Japan Chair, and Dr Baldauff Nanae, Non-Resident Senior Associate Fellow at the NATO Defense College to discuss Japan and deterrence.

Robert, Bill, Masashi and Nanae discuss: 

· The strategic definition of deterrence, from what it entails to how it works

· Nuclear deterrence, including Japan’s strategy amid the nuclear arms race in East Asia

· Integrated deterrence, including Japan’s efforts to deepen and integrate operations with allies and partners

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on your podcast platform of choice. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at japanchair@iiss.org.

Date recorded: 31 October 2024 

Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert Ward hosts Axel Berkofsky, Associate Professor at the University of Pavia, Professor Hatakeyama Kyoko, Professor of International Relations at University of Niigata Prefecture, and Professor Takenaka Harukata, Professor of Political Science at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.

Robert, Axel, Kyoko and Harukata discuss:

· Review of the Kishida administration’s security and foreign policy

· The Ishiba administration’s foreign policy amid intensifying US-China competition

· The Ishiba administration’s defence policy in Japan’s deteriorating security environment

· The Ishiba administration’s economic security and domestic economic policies

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on your podcast platform of choice. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at japanchair@iiss.org.

Date recorded: 08 October 2024

Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.