Tobias Harris spoke with Motoko Rich of the New York Times ahead of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio’s trip to the United States in April. His quotes can be viewed below:
At the summit this week, during which Mr. Kishida will also address a joint session of Congress, the leaders are expected to talk about closer military cooperation between U.S. forces based in Japan and their Japanese counterparts; collaborations on artificial intelligence, space technology and semiconductors; and the potential for Japan to make and export more weapons to the United States.
The military cooperation in particular “smells of future proofing,” said Tobias Harris, founder and principal of Japan Foresight, a political risk advisory firm in Washington.
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Last month, Mr. Biden said in a statement that it was “vital” for U.S. Steel “to remain an American steel company that is domestically owned and operated.” White House officials have indicated that the administration will review the proposed deal for national security implications.
“The contrast between an administration raising national security concerns about a Japanese steel company buying an American steel company at the same time you’re trying to raise military industrial cooperation — the messaging is a little messy,” said Mr. Harris, the Japan analyst.
You can read the article here.
Japan Foresight 