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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16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
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 18, 202501:11:45Tap 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.
Transcribe →Key takeaways from the 22nd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue with Professor Jimbo Ken
Jun 6, 202500:32:27Tap to summarizeIn this special edition of Japan Memo Season 5, Robert Ward reports from Singapore on the 22nd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue. Joining him is Professor Jimbo Ken, Managing Director of the International House of Japan, President of the Asia Pacific Initiative, and Professor at Keio University’s Faculty of Policy Management. They deliver timely and in-depth analysis of this year’s key developments and strategic narratives. Robert and Professor Jimbo discuss: · Major themes and takeaways from the 2025 Dialogue and how it compares with previous years· Key messages from US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s speech· Regional perspectives on China’s activities and strategic posture· Analysis of Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen’s address· ASEAN’s evolving role in an increasingly contested regional orderWe 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: 1 June 2025 This episode of Japan Memo was recorded in Singapore and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Deepening Japan–UK relations with Professor Hosoya Yuichi, Professor Yee Kuang Heng, and Fenella McGerty
May 20, 202500:49:25Tap to summarizeRobert Ward hosts Professor Hosoya Yuichi, Professor of International Politics at Keio University, Professor Yee Kuang Heng, Professor at the Graduate School of Public Policy and Director of the Security Studies Unit at the Institute for Future Initiatives at the University of Tokyo, and Fenella McGerty, the IISS Senior Fellow for defence economics in the Defence and Military Analysis Programme. They discuss Japan-UK relations. Robert, Yuichi, Yee Kuang and Fenella discuss: Japan-UK diplomatic alignment, amid the UK’s tilt towards the Indo-PacificJapan-UK defence partnership, including the GCAP, the UK CSG deployment to the Indo-PacificJapan-UK economic cooperation, including the bilateral economic 2+2, the UK accession to the CPTTPWe 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 May 2025 Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Japan’s role in Indo-Pacific minilateralism
Apr 11, 202500:54:37Tap to summarizeRobert Ward hosts Dr Bart Gaens, Senior Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and Japan Chair at the International Centre for Defence and Security, Tatsumi Yuki, Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center, and Dr Alice Dell’Era, Assistant Professor at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. They discuss Japan’s role in Indo-Pacific minilateralism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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