Robert Ward hosts Goto Shihoko, Senior Fellow for Indo-Pacific Affairs at the Mansfield Foundation, and Eto Naoko, Professor at Gakushuin University and Senior Fellow at the Institute of Geoeconomics, for a timely discussion on Japan–US–China economic relations..

Together, they explore: 

·        US-China competition and its implications for Japan’s economic strategy

·        Japan-China dynamics in rare earths supply chains and technology competition

·        Japan’s balancing act between economic engagement with China and its alliance commitments with the US

·        The potential implications of upcoming major diplomatic events, including US diplomacy on China.

Recommended readings from our guests: 

·        Kokubun Ryosei, Japan-China Relations through the Lens of Chinese Politics (Tokyo: JPIC International, 2021), 326pp.

·        Richard Katz, The Contest for Japan's Economic Future: Entrepreneurs vs Corporate Giants (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024), 356pp.

·        Jeffrey Ding, Technology and the Rise of Great Powers: How Diffusion Shapes Economic Competition, (Prinston: Princeton University Press, 2024), 320pp.

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Date recorded: 5 September 2025

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