A Prime Minister And His Legacy

On Tuesday, September 8 from 12:00h, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Japan (SpCCJ) will co-host and event analysing the impact of PM Abe’s resignation.

Japan will soon have a new Prime Minister following Mr Abe’s record breaking stint in office. Mr Abe won three Lower House elections and became a familiar figure internationally – in itself, an unusual achievement for a Japanese Prime Minister. His Abenomics programme and the Three Arrows promised much – but what did they really achieve and how will history judge this interesting figure? And what happens next – where do his successors propose to lead Japan?

Our guest today is Tobias Harris, Executive Vice President and Japan analyst in Washington, DC, for Teneo Intelligence. His biography ‘The Iconoclast: Shinzo Abe and the New Japan‘ was published by Hurst on 27 August and has been very well received.

He is an expert on Japanese politics, and worked in 2006-2007 on the staff of Keiichiro Asao, at that time a member of the upper house of the Japanese Diet and shadow foreign minister for the Democratic Party of Japan, for whom he conducted research on foreign policy and Japan’s relations with the United States. He is also the Fellow for Economy, Trade, and Business at Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA.

Tobias’ review will be followed by an open Q&A facilitated by Melanie Brock, CEO of Melanie Brock Advisory and one of Japan’s best known APAC specialists.

Event Details

Date: Tuesday, 8 September
Place: Zoom Online Webinar
Time: 12:00 – 13:00 JST
Language: English
Price: SpCCJ Members FREE | Non-members 2,000 JPY
Event details & registration:  A Prime Minister And His Legacy
Registration Deadline: Tuesday, 8 September, 10:30am

Tobias Harris | Executive Vice President, Teneo Intelligence

Tobias Harris earned an MPhil in International Relations from the University of Cambridge and a bachelor’s degree in Politics and History from Brandeis University. He has also conducted graduate research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and, from 2011-2012, at the Institute for Social Science at the University of Tokyo as a Fulbright scholar.

Tobias has written about Japanese politics for publications including the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and Foreign Affairs and regularly provides on-air analysis for CNBC, Bloomberg, and other networks.

Melanie Brock | CEO, Melanie Brock Advisory (moderator)

Highlights of Melanie Brock’s 20 year plus experience include leading nationwide marketing campaigns, successful bilateral free trade agreement and architect of regional Japan CSR activities. Melanie is currently engaged by several companies as a senior advisor including Tanarra, AIG, the Western Sydney & Aerotropolis Authority and several Japanese companies. She is on the board of Sega Sammy, has been a member of the Australia-Japan Research Centre Advisory Board since July 2019 and an Advance Global Ambassador since October 2019.