Ambitious Allies: How Japan and the Republic of Korea are responding to the challenge of Donald Trump

Ambitious Allies: How Japan and the Republic of Korea are responding to the challenge of Donald Trump

July 1, 2026 · 39 min · Season 3 · Episode 6

About this episode

The episode discusses how Japan and the Republic of Korea are adapting to the challenges posed by the United States under Donald Trump.

John Nilsson-Wright talks with Noah Sneider, the Economist ’s bureau chief in Japan, on the ways in which the United States' two key Asian allies are adapting to an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment, both in confronting hostile foreign powers and a United States that appears aggressively transactional and increasingly unreliable as a dependable ally. They discuss foreign policy, domestic politics, and the personal leadership strengths and weaknesses of the country’s two leaders, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and President Lee Jae Myung, as they grapple with the challenge of implementing far-reaching policy changes while keeping their domestic publics on side.

People in this episode

Host: John Nilsson-Wright

Guest: Noah Sneider

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Economist

Places: Japan, Republic of Korea, United States

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