John Nilsson-Wright and Suzanne Raine talk to Nobukatsu Kanehara, former assistant chief cabinet secretary to late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (from 2012-2019) and one of Japan’s leading strategic thinkers. The conversation covers Japan’s diplomatic options in handling security and economic relations with the United States, regional security in the Middle East, the domestic political circumstances faced by the Liberal Democratic Government of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Japan’s regional diplomacy in dealing with China and North Korea, nuclear deterrence, alliance policy, and also relations with the new government of President Lee Jae-myung in the Republic of Korea.

This podcast is part of a larger Centre for Geopolitics project, Alliances in Alignment, supported by the Korea Foundation, examining the future of trilateral cooperation between the US, South Korea and Japan.