Into Asia

The main item on Sanae Takaichi's agenda during her recent visit to the White House, on March 19, was China: to shore up Japan's relationship with the U.S. ahead of Trump much-anticipated summit with Xi Jinping. But the Iran war scrambled her plans. Ian and Chang talk about how Japan has now found itself caught in the middle of Trump's war in Iran, the shadow of China on the US-Japan relationship, and the unintended consequences in East Asia of Pax Americana's irreversible deterioration.

In February, Sanae Takaichi won the biggest electoral victory in the Liberal Democratic Party’s 70-year history. With a constitutional supermajority, an ambitious industrial policy, and a willingness to speak bluntly about Taiwan, Takaichi is remaking Japan’s domestic and foreign policy at a moment when the country’s alliance with the United States has never felt more uncertain. Tobias Harris is the author of The Iconoclast, a political biography of Shinzo Abe, and the founder of the consultancy Japan Foresight. He joined us to discuss what Takaichi’s rise means for Japan and the region. Follow Tobias Harris at his Substack: https://observingjapan.substack.com/

In November, the left-wing political commentator Hasan Piker took his first trip to China, live-streaming the trip to hundreds of thousands of viewers on the streaming platform Twitch. Hasan is a self-described socialist and a staunch critic of American capitalism, and he told me he had long wanted to see for himself how a Communist government ran a country. He wasn’t disappointed. In this episode:Why Hasan sees China differently than liberals; growing up in TurkeyFirst impressions of China, Tiananmen flag-raising ceremonyThe incident where Hasan got stopped by security at TiananmenHasan’s thoughts on Chinese (and American) censorship Surprising similarities between America and ChinaHasan’s Chinese fan base and how the red pill pipeline is going globalWhat Hasan would advise a future Democratic president on China policy

China’s top generals are falling like flies, and at unprecedented speeds. As Xi Jinping dismantles the upper ranks of the People’s Liberation Army, questions are mounting about corruption, loyalty, and the stability of China’s political system.Neil Thomas, an expert on Chinese politics at Asia Society, unpacks the logic of Xi’s military crackdown.Neil's articles: https://asiasociety.org/policy-institute/neil-thomasFollow him on X: https://x.com/neilthomas123?lang=en

As Trump threatens the sovereignty of NATO allies, the leaders of South Korea and Japan appeared together in Nara, playing drums in a highly choreographed display of diplomatic comity. Ian and Chang talk about the historic significance of this unlikely rapprochement, why it is happening now, and the prospect of an East Asian security architecture without the help of the United States.

Xiang Biao, a social anthropologist known for writing on Chinese migration and youth, reflects on post‑pandemic disillusion among young people. He discusses how education and mobility promises falter. He introduces the idea of the 'nearby'—rebuilding local ties and practical agency. He also rethinks the role of intellectuals as facilitators rather than lecturers.

Lau Kek-huat is a Malaysian-born documentary filmmaker based in Taiwan. His latest film, From Island to Island, won the prestigious Golden Horse Award in 2024. The film examines the role of Taiwanese in Japan’s Pacific War and explores why memories of World War II diverge across the Chinese-speaking world. Lau joins us to discuss his latest film and its differing reception across Asia.Follow his work, including his film at: https://reurl.cc/6bGRDr 

Less than a month into Sanae Takaichi’s tenure as Japan's prime minister, she has already sparked a diplomatic crisis with Japan's powerful neighbor. Joining us is Tokujin Matsudaira, a constitutional-law professor at Kanagawa University who grew up in Taiwan. He has written extensively on Article 9, constitutional revision, and the diplomatic challenges that shape Japan–China relations.Related Links: https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/takaichi-sanae-iron-lady-will-not-improve-gender-relations-japan-by-ian-buruma-2025-11

In the September 29, 2025, issue of The New Yorker, the writer Ian Buruma reviews two books that trace the uses and abuses of anti-semitism from late-19th century France to present-day US campus politics. Long before right-wing Israeli politicians to evoke the term to deflect criticism of the war in Gaza, anti-semitism reflected a persistent worldview: that a shadowy group of powerful Jews often stood behind the workings of a complicated world. For over a century, that idea has found converts in East Asia. In this episode, Ian and I talk about how beliefs about Jewish power manifested in Chinese and Japanese life from the 20th century to the present.Related Links: "The Uses and Abuses of Anti-Semitism" by Ian Buruma

China, Japan, and South Korea are each confronting plummeting birthrates and  rapidly aging populations, each with worrying consequences for their economies, societies, and political futures.What makes East Asia’s demographic decline different from that of the West? As women entered the workforce in Asia, how did they define and discover freedom and fulfillment between the expectations of the family and the workplace? And in China, how has the one- and two-child policies—and the parallel tide of economic reforms—reshaped desires in marriage and child-bearing among young adults?Yun Zhou, a social demographer at the University of Michigan with a particular focus on family policy and gender in contemporary China, joins us.