Japan in 2021: An Interview with Dr. Yoichiro Sato

Today Garrison is joined by Dr. Yoichiro Sato, who is an expert analyst of foreign and security policy regarding Japan, the US, and the Indo-Pacific.  The two discuss the 2021 outlook of security policy from Japan towards North Korea’s nuclear program, as well as the naval arms race developing between Tokyo and Beijing in light of increasing assertiveness in China’s maritime activity. They also discuss the RCEP trade deal and the TPP trade negotiations, Japan’s global soft power and role hosting the delayed summer Olympic Games, as well as Prime Minister Suga’s policies of office (and political future) as Japan moves away from the Abe era and faces a new US administration under Biden. Dr. Yoichiro Sato is a professor at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University. Previously he was a professor at the US Defense Department’s Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii. He also has held teaching positions at the University of Auckland, among other roles. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Government from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, a M.A. of International Relations and Affairs from the University of South Carolina-Columbia, and a Bachelors in Law from Keio University. Garrison Moratto is the founder and host of The New Diplomatist Podcast; he holds a M.S. of International Relations as well as a B.S. in Government: Public Administration (Summa Cum Laude) from Liberty University in the United States. All guest opinions are their own and not that of The New Diplomatist podcast formally.  Please subscribe and leave a review for feedback; join the podcast on Patreon for bonus perks.  Follow The New Diplomatist on Twitter and Instagram. Thank you for listening. (Originally recorded February 22, 2021)