I recently commented on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s political challenges at home and abroad in The New York Times and USA Today:
The New York Times, “As Scandal-Tarred Abe Meets Trump, ‘the Situation is Getting Dangerous’,” April 16, 2018, by Motoko Rich.
USA Today, “Trump backs North-South Korea Peace Talks in Summit with Japan’s Leader at Mar-a-Lago,” April 17, 2018, by David Jackson.
I have been selected as one of the inaugural recipients of the American Friends of the International House of Japan Next Generation Fellowship. The Next Generation Fellows Program generously provides three years of support for promising young American leaders in the US-Japan relationship to play an active role in the dynamic International House of Japan community. In its inaugural year, the program competitively selected 16 Americans aged 42 and under to become Fellows. The Fellowship covers initiation and membership costs to the I-House for three years and also allows fellows to participate in the I-House’s Asia-Pacific Young Leaders Program. The program is funded and administered by the American Friends of the International House of Japan in close cooperation with the International House of Japan.
The International House of Japan is a private, non-profit organization incorporated, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation and other private institutions and individuals, in 1952 for the purpose of promoting cultural exchange and intellectual cooperation between the peoples of Japan and those of other countries. The American Friends of the International House of Japan is a US-based 501-c-3 not-for-profit organization with the mission of promoting international goodwill and understanding by encouraging and fostering active relationships among scholars, educators, scientists, business people and other persons from Japan, the United States, and other nations, as well as educational and other institutions.
My comments on recent developments in US foreign policy toward Asia were featured in two recent news articles:
The New York Times, “Trump’s Unpredictability on Trade and North Korea Opens a Door for China,” March 10, 2018, by Motoko Rich.
Financial Review, “Donald Trump’s Snap Decision to Meet With Kim Jong-un,” March 10, 2018, by Peter Baker and Choe Sang-hun.
On Saturday, March 3, the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council brought together 189 students from 27 high schools on 5 islands for their Global Vision Summit on Climate Change hosted at UH West Oahu. Students played the roles of delegates representing specific nations, negotiating blocs, or 
interests groups. The goal was to reach a global agreement that keeps global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celcius. The simulation utilized C-ROADS, a computer simulator that shows the long-term climate impacts of negotiated policy actions. I had a great time participating as the Community Expert for the US negotiating team. Other experts advising the student teams were drawn from the United Nations Development Programme, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the East-West Center, the Hawaii Institute for Human Rights, the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Tsuchiyama & Associates, and the Australian Consulate-General in Honolulu.
I was recently interviewed in The New York Times about Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono. Since Kono was appointed in August 2017, there has been much speculation about his potential as a future leader of the Liberal Democratic Party and of Japan.
After a wonderful fall semester as a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard University Program on US-Japan Relations, I am back in Honolulu and off to a running start. I presented some of my new research on Japanese defense capacity building assistance and Abe-era security reforms at the Japan Studies Association annual conference here in Honolulu on January 6. I also chaired a very lively panel on “Japan in the Global Economy (Just Not How You Thought),” where we talked about the Tokyo Olympics, fermented food production, and pedagogy.
I’m offering two courses at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa this semester: an undergraduate course called Contemporary Asian Civilizations (ASAN 312) and our program’s graduate-level Research Seminar in Asian Studies (ASAN 750). There are still a few more open spots left!
I was recently interviewed by The New York Times about the “fresh start” in Sino-Japanese relations announced by Prime Minister Abe and President Xi and the potential for meaningful improvement between the two countries.
I enjoyed speaking with BBC World News this evening about President Trump’s visit to Asia and trade policy.
I was recently interviewed by The Washington Post about American alliances in Asia and President Trump’s contrasting personal relationships with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Korean President Moon Jae-in up to this point.
I have a short article out in Asia Dialogue today on Japan’s efforts to keep the Trans-Pacific Partnership alive after the US withdrawal from the agreement in January. Thanks to the editors for inviting me to be part of their series of pieces focusing on Japan.