The Observing Japan Podcast

Episode 2: Japan's Energy Security and the Hormuz Crisis with Jane Nakano

For the second episode of The Observing Japan Podcast, I discuss three things to know about Japan's politics this week, including the Takaichi government's decision to begin drafting a supplemental budget; Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae's efforts to bolster her support within the Liberal Democratic Party; and the prime minister's latest summit with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. Then, I talked with Jane Nakano [https://www.csis.org/people/jane-nakano], senior fellow in the Energy Security and Climate Change program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), about the implications of the Hormuz crisis for Japan's energy security. Links Jane Nakano, "How the Hormuz Energy Crisis Is Reshaping US, South Korea, and Japan Energy Cooperation," [https://nationalinterest.org/blog/energy-world/how-the-hormuz-energy-crisis-is-reshaping-us-south-korea-and-japan-energy-cooperation] The National Interest Jane Nakano and Kristi Govella, "What Are the Implications of the Iran Conflict for Japan?" [https://www.csis.org/analysis/what-are-implications-iran-conflict-japan] CSIS METI, "Japan's 7th Basic Energy Plan," [https://www.enecho.meti.go.jp/en/category/others/basic_plan/pdf/7th_outline.pdf] February 2025 MOFA, "Japan-ROK Summit Meeting," [https://www.mofa.go.jp/a_o/na/kr/pageite_000001_01649.html] 19 May 2026 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit observingjapan.substack.com/subscribe [https://observingjapan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Episode 1: Eyck Freymann

In the first episode of The Observing Japan Podcast, I discuss three things to know about Japan's politics this week, including: how Japan was watching the US-China summit; the Hormuz crisis and the impact on Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae's fiscal ambitions; and the Liberal Democratic Party's deliberations on defense spending. Then, I talked with Eyck Freymann, a Hoover fellow at Stanford University, about his new book, Defending Taiwan. Next week, I will talk with Jane Nakano, senior fellow in the energy security and climate change program at CSIS, about the Hormuz crisis and Japan's energy security. Links Defending Taiwan [https://global.oup.com/academic/product/defending-taiwan-9780197823842] (OUP) More about the book [https://www.hoover.org/research/hoover-institution-solutions-about-eyck-freymanns-defending-taiwan-strategy-prevent-war] (Stanford) Japanese-language summary [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WlMVHlXGH2CdW08fclvvNK4_v0hn2SCz/view] The OECD Japan survey [https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-economic-surveys-japan-2026_54cc833d-en.html] Please send questions or comments about the podcast to podcast@japanforesight.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit observingjapan.substack.com/subscribe [https://observingjapan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Introducing The Observing Japan Podcast

I am Tobias Harris, a longtime analyst of Japanese politics and author of The Iconoclast: Shinzo Abe and the New Japan, and I am excited to announce the launch of The Observing Japan Podcast, which will debut on Friday this week. Episodes will feature a brief rundown of the top stories in Japanese politics — “Three Things You Should Know About Japanese Politics This Week” — followed by a conversation with a guest. This week’s guest will be Stanford’s Eyck Freymann, author of the new book Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China [https://global.oup.com/academic/product/defending-taiwan-9780197823842]. The podcast will be available directly to subscribers, as well as on major podcast platforms. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit observingjapan.substack.com/subscribe [https://observingjapan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]