We invited Iguchi Haruka, a student from Japan currently studying International Politics at the UEA, to this Christmas episode. We asked Haruka questions on issues we often discuss on the podcast: Japan's declining population, attitudes to over-tourism and immigration, attitudes towards work-life balance among the Japanese people.We spent some time discussing the personality and policies of Japan's first female prime minister, Takaichi Sanae, and the reasons for her rising popularity among the Japanese populace, including the young.We aimed to better understand what young Japanese people like Haruka think about the nation's present and future, and the great challenges it currently faces. The resulting conversation, we hope, will shed light on the thinking and feelings of the new generation of Japanese people, and will thus be interesting to our viewers.