In the fourth of their regular quarterly webinars on business and current affairs, Japan Society chairman Bill Emmott teamed up with Jesper Koll, chair of the policy committee at Asia Society Japan, to discuss what's new in the Japanese economy, business, financial markets and more.

In this session, they were joined by special guest Nobukatsu Kanehara, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Secretariat until 2019, with whom they considered priorities for defence spending and other issues, including the joint fighter project between Japan, the UK and Italy, and Japan's recent announcement that it will be joining the US and Netherlands in restricting exports of chip making equipment.

They also discussed the implications of Japan's latest pay round, the Japanese government's proposals to revive and increase the exchange of scholars and students, the UK's accession to the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership),

Nobukatsu Kanehara is Professor of Doshisha University’s Faculty of Law, senior advisor at The Asia Group in Washington DC, and former Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe from 2012 to 2019. In 2013, Prof. Kanehara became the inaugural Deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Secretariat, a role which he held until his retirement from government service in 2019. He also served as Deputy Director of the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office. He is the author of 戦略外交言論 (A Grand Strategy of Japan for the 21st Century, Nihon Keizai Shinbun Shuppansha, 2011).

These webinars are run in association with The Japan Society.