In episode two of Japan Memo, co-hosts Robert Ward and Yuka Koshino are joined by Professor Jimbo Ken, a security and foreign policy expert from the Faculty of Policy Management at Keio University, to discuss the defence and security trends highlighted in Japan’s 2021 Defence White Paper, as well as:

•            Japan’s missile defence challenges

•            Japan’s investments in new domains (space, cyber, and electromagnetic spectrum)

•            The role of the US–Japan Alliance in meeting defence and economic security challenges 

•            The significance of the United Kingdom’s HMS Queen Elizabeth convoy in the Asia-Pacific

•            Japan’s expanding security relations with Southeast Asian states

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: 30 July 2021

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

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

In episode one of Japan Memo, co-hosts Robert Ward and Yuka Koshino are joined by the Chairman of the IISS Trustees, Bill Emmott. Bill is a writer, consultant, long-time Japan watcher and Chairman of the Japan Society of the United Kingdom. From 1993−2006, he was editor-in-chief of The Economist.  

To launch this new IISS podcast series, Robert, Yuka and Bill discuss the key developments in Japan over the past decades. These include societal changes such as Japan’s shifting demography, notably its ageing population; the role of women; ‘Abenomics’ and prospects for economic reform under Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide; and Japan’s response to its rapidly changing security environment. Bill also assesses Japan’s standing in the region and its pandemic response, noting why we must wait until the conclusion of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to determine whether Japan has managed COVID-19 adequately.   

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 2021 

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

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

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