ASPI Vice Presidents Wendy Cutler and Daniel Russel speak with New York Times Tokyo Bureau Chief Motoko Rich about the coronavirus situation in Japan. (48 min., 38 sec.)

This is the seventh in a series of webcast events by the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) entitled “Coronavirus, Asia, and the World.” Throughout the coming weeks, ASPI will be presenting web-only programs every Tuesday and Thursday to analyze the scope of the ramifications from the novel coronavirus across the Asia-Pacific region and the world. All events will be live-streamed on YouTube and Facebook. For information about future events in this series and for ASPI’s additional coronavirus content see here.

Japan was among the first countries hit as COVID-19 spread from Wuhan, reporting its first case in late January and then struggling with mass infections aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Yet today, Japan appears to be one of the least-affected industrialized nations with an extremely low fatality rate despite an elderly population, limited testing, and without the strict measures implemented elsewhere in the region and the world. Prime Minister Abe has resisted growing calls at home to declare a state of emergency and impose tighter controls. The postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has disrupted his carefully crafted timeline for leaving office, creating political uncertainty.  Meanwhile, the Japanese economy has already entered a recession. Japan now must navigate the public health challenge from COVID-19, increasing economic headwinds from a slowing global economy, while managing relations with difficult neighbors in the period ahead.  

In this edition of the Coronavirus, Asia, and the World webcast, Asia Society Policy Institute Vice Presidents Wendy Cutler and Daniel Russel will be joined by Motoko Rich, the highly respected New York Times bureau chief in Tokyo, to discuss the impact of the pandemic on Japan, its economy and politics. How has Japan managed the pandemic thus far? Will it need to take further measures as cases increase?  What does this mean for its economy which is already slowing down? How will the coronavirus affect Japanese domestic politics? And what does this mean for Japan’s regional relationships? Join the Asia Society Policy Institute for this global online conversation.

Speakers

Motoko Rich is Tokyo bureau chief for the New York Times. She has been a reporter with the Times since 2003, and has covered a broad range of beats at the Times, including real estate (during a boom), the economy (during a bust), books, and education. She started her journalism career at the Financial Times in London and worked at the Wall Street Journal for six years in Atlanta and New York. Ms. Rich, who grew up in New Jersey, Tokyo, and Northern California, is a graduate of Yale University and Cambridge University.

Wendy Cutler is Vice President of ASPI and Managing Director of its Washington, D.C. office. She joined ASPI following nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). Most recently, she served as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, working on a range of U.S. trade negotiations and initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region. In that capacity she was responsible for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, including the bilateral negotiations with Japan.

Daniel Russel is Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service at the U.S. Department of State, he most recently served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs, where he helped formulate President Obama’s strategic rebalance to the Asia Pacific region.