Tokyo in a Season of Turmoil

As the winter turns to spring and the cherry trees blossom, Japan confronts challenges in every domain: economics and business, security and defense, diplomacy and politics.  The troubled global economy has decimated Japanese exports and manufacturing production has plummeted.  The National Diet remains polarized and unpopular candidates are squaring off for what can only be an indecisive battle.  North Korea promises to launch rockets and  threatens worse, while pressure grows for Japan to contribute to the war in Afghanistan. 

The Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center invites you to a series of noon seminars investigating the challenges facing Japan in 2009 and their implications for the United States.