Recent elections in the United States, Japan, and Europe have shown public dissatisfaction with global society and the economy. Commentaries on United States electoral politics have argued that globalization’s impact on the domestic economy—most significantly, the offshoring of manufacturing and subsequent loss of well-paying manufacturing jobs—was the key factor in shaping a polarized society, characterized by a large underclass that has not shared in economic prosperity. In Japan, although political polarization has not been as extreme, the last several decades have seen an increased precarity of labor.

In this 2025 session of the Abe Fellows Global Forum, four leading experts from the United States and Japan will examine the impact of globalization on the domestic economies of both countries, looking at the impact of global trade, the creation of international supply-chains, the realignment of production systems, and accompanying social changes. While the Trump administration promises to return to the “golden age” of American manufacturing, this is clearly a promise that will be difficult to fulfill. Though structural changes in developed countries are often linked to the offshoring of manufacturing, those relocations occurred at a time of major technological transformation. In recent decades, there has been a worldwide shift to the use of highly automated machinery and technology in manufacturing. Even if manufacturing “returns” to developed countries, it will not produce a surge in well-paying manufacturing jobs. These are two big questions facing Japan and the United States: how can each country best manage this structural transition? How can we create more stable and equitable distributions of income that will reduce polarization?

Speakers

Masazumi Wakatabe, Former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Japan | Professor

Waseda University

Lee Branstetter, James M. Walton Professor of Economics and Public Policy

Carnegie Mellon University

Steven Vogel, Professor

University of California, Berkeley

Chiaki Moriguchi, Professor

Hitotsubashi University

Chair

Saori Katada, Professor

University of Southern California

About Abe Global

The Abe Fellows Global Forum (Abe Global) brings Abe Fellow research and expertise on pressing issues of global concern to broader audiences. Abe Global hosts events each year in partnership with academic and civic organizations throughout the United States. Abe Global is an initiative of the Abe Fellows Network, the Social Science Research Council, and the Japan Foundation New York.

Past Abe Global Events