In this episode of Japan Memo, Robert Ward and Yuka Koshino host Professor Takahara Akio, Director of the JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development, Professor of Contemporary Chinese Politics at the University of Tokyo, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Japan Forum on International Relations, Senior Adjunct Fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs and Senior Researcher at the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research.

Robert, Yuka, and Takahara-sensei provide a historical overview of the Japan-China diplomatic relationship since its normalisation, analyse the current state of bilateral relations between the two and offer their perspectives on the future of Sino-Japanese ties going forward.

Topics discussed include:

• The key turning points in the last five decades
• Japan and China’s public and government level perceptions of each other
• Potential channels for cooperation between the neighbouring states
• Former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s legacy in Japan-China relations
• How Japan effectively manages its inherently contradictory relationship with China

The following literature is recommended by our guest to gain a clearer picture of Japan and Japanese society today:

• Our guest recommends listeners browse through major Japanese newspapers over the course of a week to gain a better sense of the pulse of contemporary Japanese politics and society

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on the podcast platform of your choice.

Date of Recording: 31 August 2022

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

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

In this episode of Japan Memo, Robert Ward and Yuka Koshino host Dr Tsuruoka Michito, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Policy Management at Keio University, as well as Senior Associate Fellow at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) at the Brussels School of Governance, and Senior Fellow at the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research.

Robert, Yuka, and Tsuruoka-sensei unpack the background context of growing Japan-NATO relations, the 2022 Madrid Summit, the implications of deepening Japan-NATO engagement, and opportunities and roadblocks to increased Japan-NATO cooperation.

Topics discussed include:

• Former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s legacy for Japan-NATO relations
• The significance of Prime Minister Kishida’s participation in the 2022 Madrid Summit
• Japan and NATO’s expectations on the trajectory of their relationship
• Practical avenues of cooperation for Japan and NATO to engage in
• The role of the US in streamlining Japan-NATO cooperation

The following literature is recommended by our guest to gain a clearer picture of Japan and Japanese society today:

• Our guest recommends tabloid papers or weekly magazines such as “Shukan Bunchun” (週刊文春), “Shukan Shinchou” (週刊新潮), or sports and entertainment tabloids such as “Sankei Sports” (サンケイスポーツ)
• Alternatively, “Variety” TV programmes in the form of morning or evening shows also illuminate Japanese viewpoints on domestic or international issues.

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on the podcast platform of your choice.

Date of Recording: 19 July 2022

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

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

In this episode of Japan Memo, Robert Ward and Mariko Togashi are joined by Dr Maria Shagina, the IISS Diamond-Brown Research Fellow for Economic Sanctions, Standards and Strategy.

Maria brings her extensive knowledge on international sanctions, economic statecraft, and energy policies to discuss Japan’s sanctions on Russia in response to its aggressions in Ukraine and understand the broader dynamics within Asia. 

Topics discussed include:

• President Zelenskyy’s speech at the 2022 Shangri-La Dialogue.
• Drivers that compelled Japan to impose unprecedently swift and tough sanctions.
• Value added by Japan’s participation in the international sanctions' regime.
• The broader regional implications of the sanctions, in particular, Sino-Russia relations.  
• Balancing effective sanctions with energy security, the challenges of phasing out Russian energy and alternative partners for Japan. 

The following literature is recommended by our guests for a deeper understanding of the topics discussed:

‘Japan’s Effectiveness as a Geo-Economic Actor: Navigating Great-Power Competition’ by Yuka Koshino and Robert Ward

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on the podcast platform of your choice.

Date of Recording: 28 June 2022

Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London

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

In this episode of Japan Memo, directly preceding the 2022 IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, Robert Ward and Yuka Koshino host Kotani Tetsuo, professor of global studies at Meikai University and senior fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), and Dr Ueki Chikako Kawakatsu, professor of international relations at Waseda University’s Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies.

Robert, Yuka, Kotani-sensei and Ueki-sensei share their insights on the war in Ukraine’s impact on Asia’s existing security dynamics, Japan and its neighbours’ perceptions of and responses to these shifting dynamics, and invigorated debates in Tokyo surrounding Japan’s defence budget and capabilities. Topics discussed include:

• The effect of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Asia’s security
• The Kishida administration’s response to the crisis at home and with partners
• The Shangri-La Dialogue’s potential to foster critical discussions on Indo-Pacific security
• Domestic debates surrounding Japan’s defence budget, capabilities and revisions to its NSS

The following literature is recommended by our guests for a deeper understanding of the topics discussed:

• ‘安全保障を問いなおす : 「九条-安保体制」を越えて’ / 添谷芳秀著  (‘Rethinking Security: Going beyond the “Article 9 Alliance Regime”’ by Yoshihide Soeya)
• ‘East Asian Strategic Review’ by the National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS)
• ‘戦後日本の安全保障―日米同盟、憲法9条からNSCまで’ / 千々和 泰明 (‘Post-war Japan’s Security: The US-Japan alliance, from Article 9 to the NSC’ by Chijiwa Yasuaki)
• ‘Strategic Annual Report’ by the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA)

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on the podcast platform of your choice.

Date of Recording: 26 May 2022

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

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

In this month’s episode of Japan Memo, recorded in-person at Arundel House in London, Robert Ward and Mariko Togashi, IISS Research Fellow for Japanese Security and Defence Policy, are joined by Terazawa Tatsuya, Chairman and CEO of The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ).

Robert, Mariko and Terazawa-san offer insights into Japan’s past, present and future energy policies, how they affect Japan’s national security, and the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the stability of global and Japanese energy security. Topics discussed include:

• The key vulnerabilities in Japan and the world’s energy mix exposed by the war in Ukraine

• Opportunities and issues surrounding nuclear and renewable energy in Japan

• How Japan can integrate its energy and security policies to achieve its geo-political goals

• The prospects for alternative energies and the benefits of energy partnerships 

The following literature is recommended by our guest for a deeper understanding of the topics discussed:

- ‘Bushido Capitalism: The code to redefine business for a sustainable future’ by Sakurada Kengo

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on the podcast platform of your choice.

Date of Recording: 4 May 2022

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

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

In this episode of Japan Memo, Yuka Koshino and Robert Ward are joined by Dr Valérie Niquet, senior research fellow at the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS) in Paris and the Japanese Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) in Tokyo.

Robert, Yuka and Valérie discuss the causes and trends in the recent Franco-Japanese rapprochement, and the implications of increasing overlap in France and Japan’s Indo-Pacific strategies and international outlooks. Topics discussed include:

• The causes for a convergence of French and Japanese Indo-Pacific and international strategies
• Franco-Japanese approaches to minilateralism and multilateralism in the region
• Priority areas of cooperation in maritime security, advanced technology and Africa
• The impact of the war in Ukraine on France – Japan and EU – Japan ties

The following literature is recommended by our guest for a deeper understanding of the topics discussed:

• ‘Line of Advantage: Japan’s Grand Strategy in the Era of Abe Shinzō’ by Dr Michael J. Green
• ‘Le Japon en 100 questions : Un modèle en déclin ?’ (‘Japan in 100 questions: a model in decline?’) by Dr Valérie Niquet

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on the podcast platform of your choice.

Date of Recording: 16 March 2022

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

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

Yuka Koshino is joined by Dr Suzuki Kazuto, professor of science and technology policy at the Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Tokyo and senior fellow at the Asia Pacific Initiative, and Dr Bleddyn Bowen, lecturer in International Relations at the University of Leicester.

Bleddyn and Kazuto draw from their deep government and academic experience in European and Japanese space policy to shed light on Japan’s role in this increasingly critical and complex domain.

Topics discussed include:

• The uniqueness of space as an emerging strategic domain and its geo-political implications
• The history, drivers and trajectory of Japan’s space policy
• Assessing Japan’s space capabilities and placing them in an international context
• Multilateral cooperation in space and headwinds to Japan’s progress

The following literature is recommended by our guests for a deeper understanding of the topics discussed:

• ‘The EU–Japan Partnership in the Shadow of China: The Crisis of Liberalism’ by Axel Berkofsky, Christopher W. Hughes, Paul Midford, Marie Söderberg
• ‘NASA in the World’ by John Krige
• ‘In Defense of Japan: From the Market to the Military in Space Policy’ by Saadia M. Pekkanen and Paul Kallender-Umezu

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on the podcast platform of your choice.

Date of Recording: 1 March 2022

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

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

In this episode of Japan Memo, Robert Ward and Yuka Koshino are joined by Dr Michael Green, senior vice president for Asia, Japan Chair, and Henry A. Kissinger Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and director of Asian Studies at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He also served on the National Security Council from 2001 to 2005, first as Director for Asian Affairs with responsibility for Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, and then as Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Senior Director for Asia with responsibility for East Asia and South Asia.

Mike combines his deep knowledge of Japan and Asia, with his insider expertise in US security and foreign policy to put the US-Japan Alliance in today’s global strategic context. Topics covered include:

·        Alignments and divergences between the US and Japan’s strategic goals

·        US economic statecraft in Asia under the Biden Administration  

·        Diversifying regional security threats and upcoming revisions to Japan’s National Security Strategy

·        US – Japan cooperation in minilateral and multilateral frameworks in the Indo-Pacific

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on the podcast platform of your choice.

Date of Recording: 31 January 2022

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

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

In episode 6 of Japan Memo, Robert Ward and Yuka Koshino are joined by Dr Sheila Smith, senior fellow for Asia-Pacific studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and Peter Landers, Tokyo bureau chief at The Wall Street Journal.

Sheila and Peter draw upon their expertise and on-the-ground insights to examine the implications of the 31st October 2021 general election. Topics discussed include:

·        Election results and changes in Japanese politics

·        Internal Liberal Democratic Party dynamics

·        Kishida Cabinet’s policies for Japan’s economy and economic security

·        Investments in defence and the potential to obtain strike capabilities

·        New appointments and impact on foreign policy

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on the podcast platform of your choice.

Date of Recording: 24 November 2021

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

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

In episode five of Japan Memo, Yuka Koshino is joined by the UK’s Ambassador to Japan, Julia Longbottom, to discuss Japan – UK relations. She has been serving as Ambassador to Japan since March 2021 and it is her third posting to Japan. Between 1990 – 1993, she was in Tokyo as the Second Secretary in the Political Section of the British Embassy, then again between 2012 – 2016 as the Deputy Head of Mission.

Yuka and Ambassador Longbottom explore the Japan – UK relationship and how it has developed over the past few decades. Their conversation covers:

• Changes in Japan’s engagement in international affairs
• Gender challenges in Japanese society
• UK’s Indo-Pacific ‘tilt’
• HMS Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Japan and bilateral defence relations
• Opportunities for British and Japanese economic relations

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on the podcast platform of your choice.

Date of Recording: 28 October 2021

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

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