2018 Japan Summit
Tokyo, Japan2018 GZERO Summit Highlight Video
Sponsors
Supporting Organizations
Speakers
CO-CHAIRS
- Ian Bremmer
President, Eurasia Group - Hiroaki Nakanishi
Chairman, KEIDANREN
SPEAKERS
- Yoichi Funabashi
Chairman, Asia Pacific Initiative - David Gordon
Senior Adviser, Eurasia Group - Keiko Honda
CEO, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, World Bank Group - Koichiro Kimura
Chairman, PwC Japan Group - Yuriko Koike
Governor of Tokyo - Taro Kono
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Japan - Lully Miura
Lecturer, University of Tokyo, Policy Alternatives Research Institute - Pham Quang Vinh
Vice Minister, Vietnam - Kevin Rudd
Former Ambassador of Japan to the United States - Takumi Shibata
CEO, Nikko Asset Management - Takashi Shimada
Vice Minister, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan - Junko Tanaka
Head of Global Strategy Division, NHK World Japan - Shigehiro Tanaka
Director-General of Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan - Keiko Tashiro
Senior Executive Managing Director, Daiwa Securities - Joshua Walker
Global Head of Strategic Initiatives and Japan, Eurasia Group - Joseph Young
Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy, Tokyo
Agenda
| 13:00 - 13:15 | Opening Keynote Ian Bremmer, President, Eurasia Group Hiroaki Nakanishi, Chairman, Keidanren Takashi Shimada, Vice Minister, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan Video available here |
| 13:15 - 14:15 | Panel Discussion New Landscape of Global Competitiveness between Geopolitics and Geo-technology Moderator: Ian Bremmer Panelists: Koichiro Kimura, Chairman, PwC Japan Group Hiroaki Nakanishi Shigehiro Tanaka, Director-General of Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan The information revolution has spawned unprecedented technological innovation and prosperity. At the same time, technology is increasingly being weaponized amid a breakdown in the liberal international order. From iPad-wielding Islamic State jihadists to Russia’s army of cyber warriors, technology is the face of geopolitical conflict today as much as it is the face of economic prosperity. Geopolitics and technology are now intertwined in shaping our global future. As geo-technology emerges as the leading disruptive and economic force in the GZERO world, Japan finds itself at a crossroads: Will the country leverage innovation to prevail in the new geopolitical competition, or will it be overwhelmed by the changing environment? This timely discussion on the impact of geo-technology on the country’s future will feature Japan’s leading technology business experts. |
| 14:15 - 14:30 | Networking break |
| 14:30 - 15:30 | Panel Discussion Populism, Media and International Politics in the World Today Moderator: Junko Tanaka, Head of Global Strategy Division, NHK WORLD-JAPAN Panelists: David Gordon, Senior Advisor, Eurasia Group Lully Miura, Lecturer, University of Tokyo, Policy Alternatives Research Institute Kenichiro Sasae, former Ambassador of Japan to the United States The rise of populism has had a global domino effect, from the 2016 Brexit referendum to the election of Donald Trump to other transformative events in capitals around the world. It is a phenomenon of unprecedented geopolitical volatility driven by political polarization. The rise of new forms of information and distribution mechanisms privileges certain voices—and not necessarily the most credible ones—with consequences for politics. While the West plunges further into post-truth politics, Japan remains one of the only developed countries insulated from the forces of populism. It seems to be emerging as Asia’s leading champion of a beleaguered liberal international order, and it has a chance to become a global paragon. As the world prepares for important upcoming elections, including the US midterms, this panel will hold a much-needed discussion on politics and media in the GZERO world and on Japan’s historic opportunities and challenges. |
| 15:30 - 15:45 | Networking break |
| 15:45 - 16:00 | Executive Dialogue Takumi Shibata, CEO, Nikko Asset Management & Ian Bremmer |
| 16:00 - 17:00 | Panel Discussion GZERO World Order and Geo-economics: New Modus Operandi - Implications for Global Business Moderator: Joshua Walker, Global Head of Strategic Initiatives and Japan, Eurasia Group Panelists: Yoichi Funabashi, Chairman, Asia Pacific Initiative Takumi Shibata Keiko Tashiro, Senior Executive Managing Director, Daiwa Securities Joseph Young, Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy Tokyo Under the US-led economic order that grew out of the Marshall Plan for Europe and the Bretton Woods system of institutions such as the IMF and World Bank, Japan prospered and became a major economic power. But today this order is being turned on its head. From Kenya’s urban sprawl to Kazakhstan’s golden skyscrapers, China’s Belt and Road Initiative has made its presence felt globally and redrawn the world’s geopolitical map with its lavish state-run infrastructure investments and deals. The US’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership has further scrambled business calculations. Meanwhile, states such as Iran and Russia have been disrupting the global balance of power by weaponizing their country’s oil and gas pipelines across Eurasia. Economics and business are becoming increasingly inextricable from geopolitics. These hybrid challenges pose a renewed threat to the US-led economic order whose leading players seem unable to offer a unified response. Against this backdrop, Japan needs a new modus operandi for global economic engagement. |
| 17:00 - 17:15 | Networking break |
| 17:15 - 17:25 | Keynote Closing Speech Taro Kono, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Japan Video available here |
| 17:25 - 18:15 | Panel Discussion Geopolitics in the Asia-Pacific Moderator: Ian Bremmer Panelists: Keiko Honda, CEO, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, World Bank Group Taro Kono Pham Quang Vinh, Deputy Foreign Minister, Vietnam Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister, Australia Video available here Although largely free from the chaos of the populist politics engulfing the West, Asia has its own strains of geopolitical tension, ranging from the North Korean nuclear threat to the disputes over territories of the South China Sea. And instead of institutional meltdown, the region is witnessing the emergence of increasingly strong governments, reinforced by high levels of social cohesion. With the added fuel of nationalism, this trend is leading to intense inter-state rivalries—a situation ripe for miscalculations. Politics ranks first among the risk factors shaping Asia’s geopolitical future in the GZERO world. Against this backdrop, Washington’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy and Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative are vying to determine Asia’s future direction. Situated between these two competing visions, Japan increasingly needs a new paradigm with which to understand and lead Asia’s GZERO moment. |
| 18:30 - 20:30 | Closing Reception Remarks by Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo Greetings & toast by Hiroaki Nakanishi Networking Reception |