Asia Insight – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of Asia Insight, NBR President Michael Wills sits down with Ms. Laura Rosenberger and Mr. Roy Kamphausen to discuss strategic outlooks for Taiwan. This discussion follows an NBR delegation trip to Taiwan led by retired U.S. Navy Admiral John Aquilino, the 26th Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, from April 28–May 2, 2025.

On this special episode of Asia Insight, NBR Distinguished Fellow for China Studies Nadège Rolland and NBR Senior Fellow for Asian Security Bates Gill discuss the May 12, 2025 white paper released by China’s State Council Information Office on China’s national security in the new era.

With many nations aiming for midcentury net-zero emissions targets, massive amounts of critical minerals will be necessary to build the commodities and infrastructure for supporting a lower-carbon energy network. Each interlocking facet of energy production, trade, and consumption relies on the stability of existing partnerships and processes, many of which have been turned upside down in the wake of regional conflicts. In this episode of Asia Insight, NBR’s Tom Lutken discusses critical mineral competition with Niharika Tagotra and Kristin Vekasi.

In this episode of Asia Insight, NBR’s Doug Strub has conversations with two experts on Japan’s digital transformation (DX). First, Ulrike Schaede discusses digital transformation among Japanese industry. Following that conversation, Daisuke Kawai joins to talk about the Japanese government’s DX strategies and objectives.

Daisuke Kawai is a Research Fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS). His areas of expertise are Japan’s foreign and security policy, Indo-Pacific security, technology policy, and arms control, with an overarching research interest in emerging technologies. He is also the serving secretariat of the Council of Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) Japan.

Ulrike Schaede is Professor of Japanese Studies and Director of the Japan Forum for Innovation and Technology at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy. She is a member of the Board of Advisors at the National Bureau of Asian Research. Dr. Schaede is an expert on Japanese business and management strategies, author of The Business Reinvention of Japan: How to Make Sense of the New Japan and Why It Matters (2020), and co-author of The Digital Transformation and Japan’s Political Economy (2022).

Doug Strub is Director of NBR’s Center for Innovation, Trade, and Strategy. He manages NBR’s work on trade, technology, and digital issues.

TIMESTAMPS

Ulrike Schaede

[1:30] How do you define “digital transformation?”

[3:50] What are the key technologies driving this transformation, and in which technologies is Japan finding the most success?

[6:40] You’ve written a lot about Japan’s “competitive repositioning.” Can you explain this idea and how Japanese industry and manufacturing have been evolving in recent decades?

[11:25] What drove these changes?

[17:15] How is Japan’s success in digital manufacturing translating to broader digital transformation across society?

[19:42] How successful have strategies and initiatives such as Society 5.0 been at enabling a broader societal digital transformation?

[23:14] Why is there such a contrast between the successful advancements in digital transformation among industry compared to the slower progress made by the government?

[27:00] How is Japan’s aggregate niche strategy and its emergence as a key producer of critical technological inputs impacting the rest of the world?

Daisuke Kawai

[30:12] How does the Japanese government define digital transformation, and what are its DX goals?

[30:58] How successful has Japan been so far in its pursuit of digital transformation?

[31:27] What are the main impediments that have prevented Japan’s DX from being carried out more quickly?

[32:26] Can you explain what the Hanko is?

[33:03] What are the current administration’s main DX goals, and what strategies and policies is it implementing to pursue these?

[33:50] What are the Digital Agency’s main responsibilities, and what steps has it taken so far to further Japan’s digital transformation?

[34:30] Have people embraced the introduction of the My Number Card system, and how has this impacted society?

[35:32] What services does this card provide, and what incentives do people have to sign up for it?

[36:24] The government has also launched the Digital Garden City Initiative. Can you talk about what that is and what it’s trying to achieve?

[38:57] Related to this, the government has also launched the Digital Garden City Initiative Promotion Grant. Can you explain what this is and the impact it’s having?

[40:20] What are the main remaining barriers the government will need to address to more effectively and comprehensively realize its DX goals?

[41:18] How effective are the current polices in addressing the challenges you’ve mentioned?

[41:58] Are there any particular areas you think these policies could be doing a better job in addressing?

[42:57] Do you have any recommendations for how the government could more effectively achieve its DX goals?

In this episode of NBR’s Asia Insight, NBR executive vice president Michael Wills hosts a discussion with senior fellow Nadège Rolland and advisor William McCahill Jr. in the aftermath of China’s 20th National Party Congress.

In this episode of NBR's Asia Insight, NBR executive vice president Michael Wills hosts a discussion with Aaron Friedberg on his new book Getting China Wrong.

In this episode of Asia Insight, moderator Michael Wills is joined by Christopher Hughes and Yuka Koshino for a discussion of the political legacy of former Japanese prime minister Abe Shinzo as Japan prepares for the state funeral, which is set take place on September 27.

In this episode of Asia Insight, moderator Michael Wills is joined by experts discussing the four partner countries of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. Hayley Channer is a senior policy fellow at the Perth USAsia Centre, Sheila Smith is a senior fellow for Asia-Pacific studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, Alison Szalwinski is vice president of research at the National Bureau of Asian Research, and Akriti Vasudeva is a fellow with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center.

In advance of the May 8, 2022, Hong Kong chief executive election, Yvonne Chiu (U.S. Naval War College) and NBR advisor William McCahill joined NBR executive vice president Michael Wills for an Asia Insight podcast to discuss Hong Kong's future under the only candidate, John Lee. As Hong Kong emerges from two years of political crackdowns and strict pandemic measures, Lee will face the task of reviving the global financial hub's faltering economy. 

In this episode of NBR’s Asia Insight, NBR counselor Charles Boustany is joined by Wendy Cutler and Robert Holleyman to discuss the latest developments in Indo-Pacific trade, including the Biden administration’s proposed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, challenges around market access and digital trade, and how to overcome political obstacles in the United States to allow for more effective trade policy to be implemented.