Japan Memo

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Jun 2026

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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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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June 12, 202622 min

Key takeaways from the 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue with Professor Jimbo Ken

Robert Ward speaks with Professor Jimbo Ken – Managing Director of the International House of Japan, President of the Asia Pacific Initiative and Professor at the Faculty of Policy Management at Keio University – for a wide-ranging analysis of the 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue. This special edition of Japan Memo offers timely and in-depth analysis of the key themes and moments from this year’s Dialogue.Together, they explore:●       the overall strategic picture from this year’s Dialogue;●       US Secretary of Defense Hegseth’s speech: Taiwan, China, and shifts in tone from 2025;●       Minister Koizumi’s address in English and its strategic significance;●       the state of Japan–China relations and counter-narratives on ‘new militarism’;●       Japan–Southeast Asia relations and Japan’s role in upholding regional order.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: 31 May 2026Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June 12, 20265 min

Special Episode | Japanese Minister of Defense Koizumi Shinjiro: reflections on the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 2026

Robert Ward speaks with Japan’s Minister of Defense, Koizumi Shinjiro, on the sidelines of the 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. In this special episode of Japan Memo, Minister Koizumi discusses his impressions of the Dialogue and reflects on what Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s speech means for Japan and for the US—Japan Alliance.Together, they explore:●       Minister Koizumi’s impressions of the Shangri-La Dialogue;●       the highlights of Secretary Hegseth’s address and its implications for Japan;●       Japan’s defence-industrial cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners.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: 30 May 2026Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 8, 202633 min

Japan’s defence-export reform with Miyagawa Makio and Michishita Narushige

Robert 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.

April 15, 202641 min

Japan-US Economic Security with Katada Saori and Yamada Satoshi

Robert 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.

March 12, 202640 min

Japan’s Critical Mineral Strategy with Kristin Vekasi and Hatakeyama Kyoko

Robert 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.

February 3, 202650 min

Japan’s Foreign and Security Policy in 2026 with Professor Taniguchi Tomohiko

Robert 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.

December 15, 202551 min

Japan’s Security and Diplomacy in 2025 with Dr Kristi Govella and Dr Eva Pejsova

Robert 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.

November 21, 20251 hr 14 min

Japan-US defence-industrial cooperation with Ogi Hirohito, Ito Ayano, and Tom Corben

Robert 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.

October 20, 202551 min

Japan’s Energy Security with Yamashita Yukari and Stephen Stapczynski

Robert 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.

September 23, 202553 min

Japan-US-China Economic Relations with Goto Shihoko and Professor Eto Naoko

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.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.