Tokyo on Fire!

In a year-long scandal that has caught the public's eye and resulted in a bureaucrat's death, the resolution may leave you wanting for more. Moritomo Gakuen charges have been dropped--that's right, dropped--against 38 public officials, with only twenty facing internal punishment. Join Michael and Timothy as they cover this chapter's apparent end.

Since 1955, the LDP has fought to rewrite the constitution, but continuously fails to bring home the bacon. This week, Prime Minister Abe works to move a step closer by tweaking his 2008 referendum laws. Join Michael and Timothy as they analyze Abe's most recent attempts to rewrite Japan's Constitution.

Japan exists at the forefront of technology and innovation. Why, then, do we still see ~80% of transactions (jewelry, car, and even home purchases) finalized with cash? Join David Russell and host Timothy Langley as they explore the underpinnings of this practice.

Phalanxes of riot police on Wednesday lined critical chokepoints in Tokyo as the highly anticipated meeting of Japan, South Korea and China’s Heads-of-State was held to discuss North Korea. Join-in as Timothy and Michael delve into the implications and dynamics of this historic gathering.

This week on Tokyo on Fire:

Last week, Prime Minister Abe travelled to meet with President Trump in Florida. Though he stayed out of the sand traps, he has yet to bring home any bacon, leaving room to question his influence with the American President. Will Prime Minister Abe survive his recent lulls, or will rivals Ishiba and Kishida finally take him down? Join Timothy and Michael’s discussion as they delve into this week’s hot topic.

Heavy sanctions have finally forced the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) to assume a negotiation posture that may lead to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. In fact, the nation’s Supreme Leader has already met with China’s Premier, holds a scheduled meeting with the South Korean President, and hopes to arrange the nation’s first face-to-face with a sitting United States President. All signals point to good-faith negotiations…or at least Kim Jon Un would have you believe.

Join Timothy, Michael, and our guest, Brad Glosserman, in these discussions!

This week on Tokyo on Fire:

Just when it seemed Prime Minister Abe had finally silenced his recent scandals, they have returned with a vengeance. All three Abe scandals--Moritomo Gakuen, South-Sudan and Kake Gakuen--stole entire front pages, returning Abe to his hot-seat. With public distrust mounting, the Prime Minister has lost his mandate for Constitutional Reform. But will this cost him his role as Japan's longest serving Prime Minister, too?

In this episode, we welcome Benjamin Rimland—a recent graduate from Columbia and Cambridge Universities— as our Japanese Defense Ministry expert. In this video, we discuss recently disclosed documents and worries that the Civilians may not control the Strategic Defense Forces as they previously believed.

Join host Timothy Langley and Michael Cucek in this discussion!

Brand 2020 is back! In this episode we welcome David Russell to discuss Japanese Corporate Struggles to Market to Foreign Markets. Why does Japan have such a difficult time communicating its brand? And why do Japanese corporations seem to suffer from the same problem?

This week on Tokyo on Fire:

Joining us this week is President Obama's longest serving Ambassador, Robert M. Orr, former Ambassador to the Asian Development Bank. We discuss various Asia relations and the ways recent events have impacted them. To what degree will President Trump’s cuts to the State Department impact America’s soft power in the region?

BREAKING NEWS: Publishing in the Washington Post this evening, Ambassador Orr joins nearly 200 former U.S. Ambassadors colleagues in sending an open letter to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker and Ranking Member Bob Menendez urging the Senate to address these issues and #DefendDiplomacy. Read the letter here: https://defenddiplomacy.org/sign-the-letter/

President Trump imposes tariffs on $60 Billion of Chinese imports, throwing markets into chaos over the prospect of impending trade wars. Japan is one also thrown under that bus! How much will this impact Japan-U.S. Relations?

Earlier this month, Tax Agency chief Nobuhisa Sagawa resigned over the Moritomo Gakuen scandal. After much arm-twisting, Sagawa testified on-air in Diet hearings on Tuesday. This scandal could take down Prime Minister Abe, but Sagawa took the blame (for now.) Will the Prime Minister's poll numbers recover ... or will this affect his goal of amending the constitution?

Join host Timothy Langley and Michael Cucek in this discussion!

This week on Tokyo on Fire:

January 16th marked the fifth year of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ascension to prime minister. Find out more on this episode how his continued leadership will keep Japan in the forefront of global dominance.

A beloved monarch of the Japanese people, Emperor Akihito's final years are drawing to a close. Timothy and Michael delve deeper into this highly anticipated, historical transition.

Some insight and background on the assault among Mongolian wrestlers that is currently scandalizing the sumo world.

Our latest installment of Politics 101 where Timothy and Michael break down essential facets of Japan’s political system. In this episode, we cover the House of Representatives: what is the role of this House in running a complex country like Japan?

Join host Timothy Langley and Michael Cucek in this discussion!

This week on Tokyo on Fire:

A big year ahead for prime minister Abe. As the Diet sessions begin to roll out, how will he set the dialogue in a way that shows he is still in control? What kind of agendas will he be proposing for 2018? Find out more on this episode on prime minister Abe and his LDP party.

The main political factions are going through an ameba-like stage. What's going on? Which are likely to grab more power, and which are likely to implode? Take a closer look into the current political arena of Japan.

In this episode we discuss the second of the main houses of the Japanese Diet: the House of Councillors. How much power does the upper house yield? And how difficult is it to be elected to a seat?

Join host Timothy Langley and Michael Cucek in this discussion!