ASPI view: Justin Bassi and David Wroe talk about Takaichi’s visit and Trump’s surprise move on AI

Today on Stop the World, ASPI executive director Justin Bassi and David Wroe talk about Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to Australia and the latest news in artificial intelligence.Japan is one of Australia’s closest friends—and the friendship is deepening. Justin and David talk about the significance of the relationships amid global geopolitical turmoil. Takaichi is leading her country through the next phase in its strategic renewal, with big plans to grow Japan’s critical technology and defence industries, and a more muscular posture in the region as it faces Chinese assertiveness.They discuss the economic security declaration signed by Takaichi and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese; ASPI’s new report calling for a look at Japanese submarines to fill any potential capability gap in the AUKUS optimal pathway; and the significance of the Mogami frigate agreement.Finally they discuss the news that the Trump administration is considering reviewing new AI models before they can be released in a major reversal of its low-regulation stance. That move follows the revelation that leading AI company Anthropic withheld its latest model Mythos because it is such a powerful tool for hackers.