Episode 4: How the Takaichi government is thinking about Russia with James Brown

For the fourth episode of The Observing Japan Podcast, I discuss three things to know about Japan's politics this week, including: the Diet passes the Takaichi government's supplemental budget; Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae is ready to pursue a consumption tax cut, though there are details to hammer out; and Tokyo is looking to Southeast Asian countries as partners for arms exports.Then, I talk with James DJ Brown, a professor at Temple University Japan, about the overall state of Japan's relationship with Russia. Our conversation covered the domestic drivers of Japan's Russia policy; Japan's pursuit of rapprochement under the second Abe administration; Japan's views of the Russia-Ukraine war; and Russia's place in Japan's strategic review this year.LinksJames DJ Brown, Cracking the Crab Hurst (outside US); Oxford University Press (US)James DJ Brown, "Are Russia-Japan Relations Really Warming Up?" Carnegie PolitikaJames DJ Brown, "Japan Must Stop Its Embarrassing Embrace of Kremlin Cultural Projects," Moscow TimesFor links to the stories discussed at the start of the episode, please visit observingjapan.substack.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit observingjapan.substack.com/subscribe