Broad structural changes over the last quarter century are reverberating through the global economy and the institutions that regulate it. Recent US policy has shifted away from a leadership position in both long-standing institutions such as the WTO and newer trade agreements such as TPP-11 and RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership). These shifts are creating room for stronger regional ties and raise the question of which nation(s) will lead trade initiatives in Asia. Additionally, a shift toward populism across the world threatens to lead countries towards greater economic protectionism. Our speakers addressed questions related to these issues as they relate to Japan, the US-Japan relationship, and East Asia.

Welcome Remarks

Hugh Patrick 
Center on Japanese Economy and Business, Columbia Business School

Takatoshi Ito
School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

Panelists

Vinod Aggarwal 
Political Science, University of California, Berkeley | 2007 Fellow

Christina Davis 
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University | 2006 Fellow

Taiji Furusawa
Graduate School of Economics, Hitotsubashi University | 2009 Fellow

Moderator

David Weinstein
Center on Japanese Economics and Business, Columbia Business School| 1991 Fellow 

Closing Remarks

Barbara Stallings 
The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Brown University

A new initiative of the Abe Fellowship Program, the Abe Fellows Global Forum (Abe Global) is designed to bring Abe Fellow research and expertise on pressing issues of global concern to broader audiences. Abe Global will host several events each year in partnership with academic and civic organizations throughout the United States. The Abe Fellowship Program is a partnership between the Social Science Research Council and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.