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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:
Recommended readings from our guests:
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.
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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 2025
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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Robert 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:
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: 6 August 2025
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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Robert 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:
The following books are recommended by our guests to gain a clearer picture of the topics discussed:
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.
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In 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 order
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: 1 June 2025
This episode of Japan Memo was recorded in Singapore and produced at the IISS in London.
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Robert 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:
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: 6 May 2025
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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Robert Ward hosts Professor Takahara Akio, Emeritus Professor of The University of Tokyo, Dr Elizabeth Wishnick, Senior Research Scientist at the Centre for Naval Analyses (CNA) and Dr Catherine Jones, a Lecturer at the University of St Andrews, to explore Japan’s challenges amid growing cooperation between Russia and China.
Robert, Akio, Elizabeth and Catherine discuss:
The following books are recommended by our guests to gain a clearer picture of the topics discussed:
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: 17 February 2025
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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Robert Ward hosts Professor Suzuki Kazuto, Professor at the Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Tokyo, and Dr Elli-Katharina Pohlkamp, Director at Agora Strategy Group, to explore Japan’s economic security policy.
Robert, Professor Suzuki and Dr Pohlkamp discuss:
The following books are recommended by our guests to gain a clearer picture of the topics discussed:
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 January 2025
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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Robert Ward hosts Dr Sheila Smith, Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and Dr Jeffrey Hornung, the Japan Lead for the RAND National Security Research Division.
Robert, Sheila and Jeffrey discuss:
The following books are recommended by our guests to gain a clearer picture of the topics discussed:
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: 4 December 2024
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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Robert Ward is joined by Bill Emmott, Chairman of the IISS Trustees, Murano Masashi, a senior fellow with Hudson Institute’s Japan Chair, and Dr Baldauff Nanae, Non-Resident Senior Associate Fellow at the NATO Defense College to discuss Japan and deterrence.
Robert, Bill, Masashi and Nanae discuss:
· The strategic definition of deterrence, from what it entails to how it works
· Nuclear deterrence, including Japan’s strategy amid the nuclear arms race in East Asia
· Integrated deterrence, including Japan’s efforts to deepen and integrate operations with allies and partners
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: 31 October 2024
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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Robert Ward hosts Axel Berkofsky, Associate Professor at the University of Pavia, Professor Hatakeyama Kyoko, Professor of International Relations at University of Niigata Prefecture, and Professor Takenaka Harukata, Professor of Political Science at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.
Robert, Axel, Kyoko and Harukata discuss:
· Review of the Kishida administration’s security and foreign policy
· The Ishiba administration’s foreign policy amid intensifying US-China competition
· The Ishiba administration’s defence policy in Japan’s deteriorating security environment
· The Ishiba administration’s economic security and domestic economic policies
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: 08 October 2024
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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Robert Ward hosts Dr Matsuda Takuya, Adjunct Lecturer at Aoyama Gakuin University, Dr Vida Macikenaite, Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of International Relations of the International University of Japan, and Dr Wrenn Yennie Lindgren, Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Centre for Asian Research at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.
Robert, Takuya, Vida and Wrenn discuss:
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: 6 September 2024
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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Robert Ward hosts Professor Koga Kei, Associate Professor at Nanyang Technological University, Shiozawa Hideyuki, Senior Program Officer at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, and Euan Graham, Senior Analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
Robert, Kei, Hideyuki and Euan discuss:
The following books are recommended by our guests to gain a clearer picture of the topics discussed:
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: 31 July 2024
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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Robert Ward hosts Richard J Samuels, Ford International Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kotani Ken, Professor at Nihon University in Japan, and Hosaka Sanshiro, Research Fellow at the International Centre for Defence and Security and PhD student at the University of Tartu.
Robert, Richard, Ken and Sanshiro discuss:
The following books are recommended by our guests to gain a clearer picture of the topics discussed:
Tessa Morris-Suzuki, Exodus to North Korea: Shadows from Japan's Cold War, (Lanham, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007), 302pp.
John W. Dower, Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II, (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2000), 688pp.
Kotani Ken, 日本インテリジェンス史:旧日本軍から公安、内調、NSCまで [Nihon Intelligence Shi: Kyu-nihongun Kara Kōan, Naichō, NSC Made], (Tokyo: Chuo Koron Shinsha, 2022), 296pp.
Michael S. Molasky, 呑めば、都─居酒屋の東京 [Nomeba Miyako – Izakaya No Tokyo], (Tokyo: Chikuma Shobō, 2016), 400pp.
Richard J. Samuels, Special Duty: A History of the Japanese Intelligence Community, (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2019), 384pp.
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: 21 June 2024
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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Robert Ward hosts Iwama Yoko, Professor at Japan's National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Guibourg Delamotte, Professor of Political Science at the Japanese Studies Department of the French Institute of Oriental Studies (Inalco), and Dr Alexandra Sakaki, Deputy Head of the Asia Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs at Stiftung Wissenschaft and Politik (SWP).
Robert, Yoko, Guibourg and Alexandra discuss Japan and the EU:
For more information, transcript and background reading, please visit out website IISS Podcast: Japan Memo.
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: 24 May 2024
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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Robert Ward hosts Chris Hughes, Professor of International Politics and Japanese Studies at the University of Warwick, Dr Naoko Aoki , Associate Political Scientist at the RAND Corporation, and Joseph Dempsey, Research Associate for Defence and Military Analysis at the IISS.
Robert, Chris, Naoko and Joseph discuss Japan and North Korea:
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 or visit our website The International Institute for Strategic Studies (iiss.org)
Date recorded: 26 April 2024
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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Robert Ward hosts Alessio Patalano, Professor of War & Strategy in East Asia at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, Veerle Nouwens, the Executive Director of IISS-Asia, and Nick Childs, the IISS Senior Fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security.
Robert, Alessio, Veerle, and Nick discuss Japan’s maritime security policy in the Indo-Pacific.
Topics discussed include:
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: 04 April 2024
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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In the second episode of Japan Memo season 4, Robert Ward hosts Higashino Atsuko, a Professor at the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Tsukuba, James Brown, a Professor of political science at Temple University, Japan campus, and Dr Nigel Gould-Davies, the IISS Senior Fellow for Russia and Eurasia. Robert, Atsuko, James and Nigel discuss Japan and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Topics discussed include:
The following books are recommended by our guests to gain a clearer picture of the topics discussed:
We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on the podcast platform of your choice. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at japanchair@iiss.org.
Date of Recording: 1 March 2024
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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Robert, Professor Sato, Aaron, and Evan discuss Japan’s relationship with ASEAN.
Topics discussed include:
The episode's transcript can be found on https://www.iiss.org/podcasts/japan-memo/2024/02/japans-relationship-with-asean/
The following books are recommended by our guests to gain a clearer picture of the topics discussed:
We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Japan Memo on the podcast platform of your choice. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at japanchair@iiss.org.
Date of Recording: 31 January 2024
Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.