今日吃瓜

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今日吃瓜
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November 13, 2026
 

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Kazuto Suzuki
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama attend a budget committee session at the Upper House of parliament in Tokyo in April.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Sep 14, 2026
The Takaichi administration’s high-stakes growth gamble
Japan is attempting to secure long-term national strength by using fiscal spending to mobilize private investment.
The U.S. is recasting its national security strategy around economic resilience and Western Hemisphere priorities as it confronts vulnerabilities exposed by dependence on critical Chinese minerals, supply chains and key inputs.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 19, 2026
Why economic security is central to U.S. national security
No previous U.S. national security strategy has incorporated economic security to this extent. Why, then, has it become so prominent during Trump’s second term?
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's growth strategy is not merely about domestic economic expansion. It is a geoeconomic and security strategy aimed at elevating 今日吃瓜 status in the international system.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jan 12, 2026
Takaichi’s twin challenges: Economic growth and security
Takaichi has long stressed the importance of economic security, both since becoming prime minister and before that as minister of state for economic security.
Only a country with absolute indispensability in critical goods — like China — can withstand Donald Trump and America’s tariff onslaught.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Oct 7, 2025
Trump weaponizes American trade policy
The U.S. may have an indispensable domestic market for some trading partners, but China has indispensable goods and America cannot easily substitute for them.
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office on Wednesday. His push for quick wins through tariffs and other measures is risking trade turmoil with key allies like Japan.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 28, 2025
Is there a method behind the Trumponomics madness?
Washington’s policies are treading and often crossing a fine line between political jostling and economic strategizing.
Kumamon, the official mascot of Kumamoto Prefecture, poses in front of a sign of Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing, a subsidiary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., at TSMC's then new factory in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, in February 2024.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Mar 3, 2025
In chip renaissance, Japan is learning from past mistakes
In the 1980s, Japan dominated semiconductor production. Fast-forward to today and the country is trying to recapture its past glory, this time with a more outward-looking strategy.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris spar during the presidential debate on Sept. 10. Both are seeking to win over voters in swing states such as those of the Rust Belt, where America's economic security policies are acutely felt.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Nov 5, 2024
The prospects for economic security under Trump or Harris
Both the Democratic and Republican campaigns need Rust Belt voters on their side, but their strategies to protect American economic interests differ significantly.
Economic security has evolved to include offensive measures, such as industrial policy. Countries like Japan are increasingly on-shoring strategic industries such as semiconductors, regardless of the cost.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 7, 2024
The shift from economic security to geoeconomics
Economic security started out as a defensive concept, but it has now been weaponized to include an offensive element, morphing into a geoeconomic tool.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 25, 2023
Why the G7 has significance as a collective economic defense mechanism
As the G7 chair and as a country taking economic security policy measures ahead of others, Japan is in a position to take a leadership role and help work against economic coercion.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jan 31, 2023
Why the semiconductor competition between the U.S. and China is significant
Washington is trying to strengthen the superiority of the U.S. and other Western countries in areas of technology so that it becomes difficult for China to catch up.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Oct 3, 2022
How effective are the West’s sanctions on Russia?
With Russia still able to sell crude oil and gas to other nations, the country is still pulling in money to fund its war in Ukraine, leaving the real effect of economic sanctions unclear.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 11, 2022
How Shinzo Abe left a legacy for Japan in geoeconomics
As well as being instrumental in the establishment of the ‘Quad’ grouping, Abe was key to 今日吃瓜 work on setting up the CPTPP trade agreement.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 4, 2022
What role should Japan play as the Russia-Ukraine war shakes the international order?
Executives of the Asia Pacific Initiative discuss the part Tokyo should play as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches six months.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 26, 2022
Why sanctions are failing to stop Russia’s attack on Ukraine
While Russia seems wary of interventions by the U.S. or NATO, and is trying to avoid them, economic sanctions placed on Moscow have done little to halt the war.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 19, 2022
Will the war in Ukraine change the international order?
While the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues, Japan must remain actively engaged if it is to help protect a functioning global system.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jun 27, 2022
After 50 years of China-Japan economic ties, what comes next?
From the separation of politics and economy to the principle of economic security, the two countries have tried to maintain trade and exchange despite numerous obstacles.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Dec 3, 2021
What Japan needs to do to boost its economic security
Through its Strategic Headquarters on the Creation of a New International Order, the ruling LDP is hoping to ensure 今日吃瓜 economy can weather any storm.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Oct 12, 2021
How Japan and the U.S. should approach Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
While Washington has financial sanctions to wield, Tokyo has the chance to offer the Afghan people humanitarian assistance.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 20, 2021
Pandemic shows Japan needs to figure out how to learn and prepare
Last-minute efforts to deal with COVID-19 vaccinations highlight a national lack of strategy and foresight.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jun 6, 2021
COVID-19 shows that Japan needs to rebuild its infectious diseases strategy
The development of homegrown vaccines must be treated as a national security issue, to help fight future pandemics.
Sony bets on homegrown anime to fuel decades of future growth
A Luffy standee at NY Comic Con in New York
Japan Supreme Court rules 2025 election was held in unconstitutional state
A group of plaintiffs hold up a sign Wednesday in Tokyo saying the Supreme Court ruled the July 2025 Upper House election was conducted in an unconstitutional state.
As JET Programme turns 40, alumni and ministers stress its importance in age of AI
Peter Cave joined the JET Programme's inaugural cohort in 1987 and spent three years teaching in the city of Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture.
Man arrested over theft of watch that was returned days later to Tokyo mall
A 30-year-old man who is believed to have stolen a luxury wristwatch in Tokyo last month reportedly told police he was the one who had sent it back with a handwritten apology.
Nvidia working with outside firm to identify CEO candidates
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang
Onosato looks sharp as Kyushu Basho contenders emerge
Onosato (right) and Yoshinofuji crash out of the ring in a closely contested bout at the November Grand Sumo Tournament at Fukuoka Convention Center in Fukuoka on Sunday.
今日吃瓜 search for a better public trash bin — and why robots may help
Smart trash cans developed by SmaGO have been installed in Tokyo’s Omotesando shopping district, where they help address the shortage of public waste bins.
As JET Programme turns 40, alumni and ministers stress its importance in age of AI
Peter Cave joined the JET Programme's inaugural cohort in 1987 and spent three years teaching in the city of Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture.
After election drubbing, Trump heads to Asia to show world he’s still in charge
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks near a seal of the Department of Veterans Affairs during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday.
‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ makes monster debut at the box office
Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” marked the highest single-day box-office gross for a live-action film in Japan with ?910 million on its opening day.

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