A special seminar on the U.S. presidential election and economic security policy was held on October 16, 2023. Featured speakers from the U.S. were Glenn Nye, President and CEO of the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC), NPI partner, and Joshua W. Walker, President and CEO of Japan Society. Participating from Japan were Yanase Tadao, NPI Vice President and Senior Executive Vice President, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) and Sasae Kenichiro, NPI Director and President, The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA).

In his keynote speech, NPI Chairman Aso Taro stated that the authoritarian states surrounding Japan pose not only a purely military threat but that they also weaponize their economic activities, posing a threat that international wartime laws such as the Geneva Conventions did not envision. He continued that in light of this international situation, the necessity and effectiveness of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty has increased. He then stated the recognition that it is becoming more and more important for Japan and the U.S. to coordinate and cooperate in a broad sense on the basis of the Japan-U.S. alliance. Even if the U.S. policy toward China itself is unlikely to become a major campaign issue in the U.S. presidential election, Chairman Aso noted that beyond the discussion of U.S. support for Ukraine, there is a major issue of how the U.S. should deal with authoritarian states. Japan must pay close attention to this matter.

Following the keynote address, speeches were delivered by four experts. The two speakers from the U.S. were Glenn Nye, President and CEO of CSPC, and Joshua W. Walker, President and CEO of Japan Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and cooperation between the U.S. and Japan. From Japan, Yanase Tadao, NPI Vice President and Senior Executive Vice President, NTT, and Sasae Kenichiro, NPI Director and President, JIIA, delivered speeches.

Glenn Nye gave an overview of efforts related to economic security in the U.S. from a U.S. Congress perspective and emphasized that, despite the fact that presidential election years are always challenging and highly polarizing in American politics, the U.S.-Japan relationship remains robust and that both countries are still each other's most important ally regardless of the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.

Joshua Walker emphasized that Japan's distinctive leadership, which focuses on the supporting roles as well as the leading roles, and its unique advantage of the ability to create harmony, are Japan's strengths, and that these strengths are becoming increasingly important in light of the recent geopolitical risks in the global situation.

Yanase Tadao outlined the increasingly sophisticated state-led industrial policy initiatives in the countries of concern. He then emphasized the need to establish industrial policy coordination among like-minded countries through international cooperation and recognition of each other's technological strengths and weaknesses in order to counteract this trend.

Sasae Kenichiro gave an overview of issues related to economic security and the Japan-U.S. alliance from a diplomatic perspective. He outlined the need to counter countries of concern but emphasized that too much economic bloc formation could lead to repeating the mistakes of the pre-war era. Therefore, it is important to continue dialogue with countries of concern in order to achieve coexistence with them.

Following the speeches, a panel discussion was moderated by Shiraishi Shigeaki, Director of the NPI Research Center for Economic Security. Issues discussed by the four experts included such issues as how the outcome of the U.S. presidential election might change U.S. policy toward China, how Japan should prepare, and what concrete steps should be taken in cooperation with the Global South.

Speakers:

Glenn Nye, President and CEO, Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC)

Joshua Walker, President and CEO, Japan Society

Yanase Tadao, Vice President, NPI; Senior Executive Vice President, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT)

Sasae Kenichiro, President, The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA); Director, NPI

Panel Discussion Moderator:

Shiraishi Shigeaki, Director, Research Center for Economic Security, NPI

＊The Keynote Address by Aso Taro (NPI Chairman)"The U.S. Presidential Election and Economic Security Policy" (summary) can be read from the link below.

　https://www.npi.or.jp/en/event/2023/12/20160000.html