Podcast
Japan Memo
Hosted by The International Institute for Strategic Studies · EN
The Japan Memo is a monthly podcast series that analyses why Japan matters in today’s regional and global geopolitical landscape. In each episode, Robert Ward of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Japan Chair Programme, will bring in strategists, experts and practitioners from around the world to examine how Japan is using its diplomatic, economic and military tools to achieve its strategic goals, and what lessons it offers to other countries.
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13episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Japan’s defence-export reform with Miyagawa Makio and Michishita Narushige
3w ago00:33:34Tap to summarizeRobert Ward hosts Ambassador Miyagawa Makio, former senior Japanese diplomat, and Professor Michishita Narushige, Professor of International Security Studies at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) and a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, for an in-depth discussion on the recent reform of Japan’s defence-export policy. Together, they explore:The historical background of Japan’s defence-export policyThe recent shift in Japan’s defence-export policyThe perspectives of Japan’s US ally and strategic partners on the recent policy shiftOpportunities and challenges for Japan as a defence equipment and technology exporterRecommended readings from our guests:Agawa Naoyuki, Friendship Across the Seas: The US Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, (Tokyo: Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture, 2019), 308pp.Doi Yasuaki, Tainichi Keizai Sensō: 1939–1941 [Economic War against Japan: 1939–1941], (Tokyo: Chuokoron-Shinsha, 2002), 302pp.Tobe Ryoichi, Teramoto Yoshinari, Kamata Shinichi, Suginoo Yoshio, Murai Tomohide and Nonaka Ikujiro, Shippai no Honshitsu [The Essence of Failure: An Organisational Study of the Imperial Japanese Military], (Tokyo: Diamond, 1984), 304pp.Michishita Narushige, The Maritime Strategy and the US–Japan Alliance: Fighting the Cold War in the Pacific, (Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, forthcoming 2027).We hope you enjoy the episode. Please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on your preferred podcast platform. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at japanchair@iiss.org. Date recorded: 23 April 2026Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Japan-US Economic Security with Katada Saori and Yamada Satoshi
Apr 1500:41:36Tap to summarizeRobert Ward hosts Katada Saori, Professor of International Relations and the Director of the Center of International Studies at the University of Southern California, and Yamada Satoshi Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Geoeconomics (IOG), for an in-depth discussion on the current state and future direction of Japan-US economic security.Together, they explore: The historical and institutional development of Japan’s economic statecraftThe recent evolution of economic security in JapanJapan-US cooperation in advanced technologies and business for economic security The future development of Japan’s engagement in economic security with the Global South – with or without the US. Recommended readings from our guests: Institute of Geoeconomics, Survey results of 100 Japanese companies on economic security 2023. (Tokyo: Institute of Geoeconomics, 2024) 58pp.Institute of Geoeconomics (Ed.) introduction to geoeconomics (in Japanese) 『はじめての地経学：経済が武器化した時代の見方』] (Tokyo: Asahi Shinsho, 2026) 288pp.Shiono, Msato, Kousuke Saito and Kota Umeda, The geoeconomics of generative AI development race: How emerging technologies can become national power (Tokyo: Institute of Geoeconomics, 2026).Pempel, T. John. Regime shift: Comparative dynamics of the Japanese political economy. (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998), 288pp. Solís, Mireya, Dilemmas of a trading nation: Japan and the United States in the evolving Asia-Pacific order. (Washington DC, Brookings Institution Press, 2017), 180pp.Katada, Saori and Koga, Kei, Japan's grand strategy: Liminal power in an uncertain world. (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2026), 304pp. We hope you enjoy the episode. Please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on your preferred podcast platform. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at japanchair@iiss.org. Date recorded: 1 April 2026Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Japan’s Critical Mineral Strategy with Kristin Vekasi and Hatakeyama Kyoko
Mar 1200:40:28Tap to summarizeRobert Ward hosts Dr Kristin Vekasi, the Mansfield Chair of Japan and Indo-Pacific Affairs at the University of Montana, and Professor Hatakeyama Kyoko, Professor of International Relations at the Graduate School of International Studies and Regional Development, University of Niigata Prefecture for an in-depth discussion on the current state and future direction of Japan’s critical mineral strategy. Together, they explore: · Developments in Japan’s critical mineral strategy from 2010 when China briefly curbed exports of rare-earth elements to Japan. · The implications of Japan’s response to the 2010 crisis for Beijing’s recent controls on exports of dual-use products to Japan. · The strategic importance of deep-sea rare earths around Minami-Torishima Island. · The future trajectory of Japan’s critical mineral strategy in cooperation with the US and European countries. Recommended readings from our guests: · Catalinac, Amy, Dominance through division: Group-based clientelism in Japan (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2025), 365pp.· Harris, Tobias S. The iconoclast: Shinzō Abe and the new Japan (London: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd., 2020), 392pp.· Higuchi, Shinji, Bullet Train Explosion [Shinkansen Bakuhatsu] (Tokyo, Episcope, 2025) [Netflix film]· Ward, Robert, Evaluating Japan’s new grand strategy (London: Routledge, 2025). 156pp.We hope you enjoy the episode. Please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on your preferred podcast platform. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at japanchair@iiss.org.Date recorded: 3 March 2026Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Japan’s Foreign and Security Policy in 2026 with Professor Taniguchi Tomohiko
Feb 300:50:08Tap to summarizeRobert Ward hosts Professor Taniguchi Tomohiko, Chairman of Nippon Kaigi and Specially Appointed Professor at the University of Tsukuba. They discuss the outlook of Japan’s foreign and security policy in 2026. Together, they explore: · The upcoming Japanese snap election· The Takaichi government’s security and defence reforms· Japan’s foreign and security relations with the US· Japan’s security and economic relations with China Recommended materials from our guests: · Agawa Naoyuki, Friendship Across the Seas: The US Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force, (Tokyo: Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture, 2019), 308pp.We hope you enjoy the episode. Please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on your preferred podcast platform. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at japanchair@iiss.org.Date recorded: 28 January 2026Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Japan’s Security and Diplomacy in 2025 with Dr Kristi Govella and Dr Eva Pejsova
Dec 1500:51:07Tap to summarizeRobert Ward hosts Kristi Govella, senior advisor and Japan chair at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies and Eva Pejsova, Japan chair at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy of the Brussels School of Governance. They review Japan’s security and diplomacy in 2025. Together, they explore: The US tariffs on Japan and trade negotiations between the two countries Ishiba Shigeru’s legacy as prime minister Takaichi Sanae’s selection as prime minister, her cabinet appointments and the collapse of the LDP-Komeito coalition Changing security relations with the US and other countries The policy agenda for the Takaichi administration Recommended materials from our guests: Kenneth M. McElwain (ed.), Robert J. Pekkanen (ed.), Daniel M. Smith (ed.), Japan Decides 2024 (Cham: Palgrave Macmillan), 365pp. Michael J. Green, Line of Advantage: Japan’s Grand Strategy in the Era of Abe Shinzō (New York: Columbia University Press), 328pp. Andrew L. Oros, Japan’s Security Renaissance: New Policies and Politics for the Twenty-First Century (New York: Columbia University Press), 320pp. We hope you enjoy the episode. Please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on your preferred podcast platform. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at japanchair@iiss.org. Date recorded: 28th November 2025Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Japan-US defence-industrial cooperation with Ogi Hirohito, Ito Ayano, and Tom Corben
Nov 2101:14:00Tap to summarizeRobert Ward hosts Ogi Hirohito, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Geoeconomics; Ito Ayano, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ITO Strategy Company; and Tom Corben, Research Fellow at the United States Studies Centre. They discuss the increasing cooperation between Japan and the US in the defence industry.Together, they explore: · How Takaichi and Trump might cooperate on US-Japan defence-industrial issues· The Takaichi government’s new policies in relation to the defence industry· How the defence industry in Japan and the US views recent defence-industrial policy changes· Defence-industrial cooperation with third countries, through initiatives such as GCAP· How the US views defence-industrial cooperation with Japan and the effect of the upcoming US National Security Strategy on this Recommended materials from our guests: · Alan Booth, The Roads to Sata,(London: Penguin, 2020), 336pp.· Tobias S Harris, The Iconoclast, (London: Hurst, 2023), 504pp.· Anno Hideki and Higuchi Shinji, Shin Gozilla, (Toho Co, 2016).We hope you enjoy the episode. Please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on your preferred podcast platform. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at japanchair@iiss.org.Date recorded: 4 November 2025Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Japan’s Energy Security with Yamashita Yukari and Stephen Stapczynski
Oct 2000:51:19Tap to summarizeRobert Ward hosts Yamashita Yukari, Managing Director at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), and Stephen Stapczynski, Asia Energy Team Leader at Bloomberg News, for an in-depth discussion on the current state and future direction of Japan’s energy security. Together, they explore: Japan’s 7th Strategic Energy Plan and its emphasis on economic security and energy mix. The balance between renewables, nuclear and fossil fuels in achieving realistic decarbonisation. Japan’s pioneering role in global LNG investment and supply security — a model now studied by the European Union. Japan’s initiatives in hydrogen and blue ammonia cooperation with the Middle East and ASEAN. The policy and market challenges shaping Japan’s energy strategy towards 2040. Recommended readings from our guests: Hyakuta Naoki, Kaizoku to yobareta otoko [A man called a pirate] (Tokyo: Kodansha, 2012), 386pp. Michael Booth, Sushi and beyond: What the Japanese know about cooking (London: Vintage Publishing, 2010), 336pp. We hope you enjoy the episode. Please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on your preferred podcast platform. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at japanchair@iiss.org. Date recorded: 8 October 2025 Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Japan-US-China Economic Relations with Goto Shihoko and Professor Eto Naoko
Sep 2300:53:13Tap to summarizeRobert 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.We hope you enjoy the episode. Please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on your preferred podcast platform. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at japanchair@iiss.org. Date recorded: 5 September 2025Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →The 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War: the evolution of Japan’s post-war defence policy
Sep 801:05:37Tap to summarizeRobert Ward hosts Dr Chijiwa Yasuaki, Chief, International Conflict Division, National Institute for Defence Studies (NIDS), Ministry of Defence, Dr Jennifer Lind, Associate Professor in the Department of Government at Dartmouth, and Dr Sayuri Romei, Senior Fellow in the German Marshall Fund, GMF, Indo-Pacific Program. They discuss the evolution of Japan's post-war defence policy in light of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Robert, Yasuaki, Jennifer and Sayuri discuss: Evolution of Japan’s defence policy — shift from post-war defensive defence doctrine to recent adoption of counter-strike capability, expanded defence budget and multi-domain defence forceRole of external environment and alliances — China’s rise, North Korea’s threat, Russia’s actions and shifting US commitments shaping Japan’s security trajectoryDomestic politics and public opinion — gradual change in attitudes, reduced resistance to defence reforms and evolving consensus on stronger defence postureUS-Japan alliance deepening — institutional developments, interoperability improvements, establishment of joint command structures, people-to-people ties strengthening alliance foundationsWe hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on your podcast platform of choice. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at japanchair@iiss.org. Date recorded: 6 August 2025 Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →The 60th anniversary of normalisation of Japan-South Korea diplomatic relations with Professor Sakata Yasuyo, Professor Victor Cha and Professor Jung-Hoon Lee
Jul 1801:11:45Tap to summarizeRobert Ward hosts Sakata Yasuyo, Professor of International Relations at Kanda University, Victor Cha, President of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and Jung-Hoon Lee, Dean and Professor of International Relations at the Graduate School of International Studies at Yonsei University. They discuss Japan–South Korea relations in light of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic normalisation. Robert, Yasuyo, Victor and Jung-Hoon discuss: Evolution of Relations: From diplomatic normalisation in 1965 to people-to-people and civil society engagement, especially post-1998Japan–South Korea–US trilateral alignment, institutional frameworks, and strategic consultation, notably the 2023 Camp David SummitFuture Prospects and Domestic Pressures: Economic strain, shifting public sentiment towards China, and cautious optimism in bilateral cooperationThe following books are recommended by our guests to gain a clearer picture of the topics discussed: Victor Cha, Alignment Despite Antagonism: The United States-Korea-Japan Security Triangle, (California: Stanford University Press, 1990), 376pp. Victor Cha, Powerplay: The Origins of the American Alliance System in Asia, (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2016), 352pp. Victor Cha and Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Korea: A New History of South and North, (Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2024), 320pp.Chong-Sik Lee, Japan and Korea: The Political Dimension, (California: Hoover Institution Press, 1985), 234pp. Brad Glosserman and Scott A. Snyder, The Japan–South Korea Identity Clash: East Asian Security and the United States, (New York: Columbia University Press, 2015), 240pp. We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on your podcast platform of choice. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at japanchair@iiss.org. Date recorded: 30 June 2025 Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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