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Now that Barack Obama is the President-elect of the United States, Seijigiri co-hosts Garrett DeOrio and Ken Worsley are back with a look at how the Obama presidency might work within the context of the US/Japan alliance.

This release is broken into three broad categories: First, the background of the US/Japan alliance is considered. Second, the expectations of an Obama administration itself are examined. Finally, our co-hosts consider what impact changes in Japanese domestic politics might have on the alliance.

The background portion begins with the events of the Clinton administration, and President Clinton’s summit with Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto in 1996. It then moves to a discussion of two papers published by Richard Armitage, in 2000 and 2007. Finally, the discussion comes to the present by considering how the US/Japan alliance has evolved during the Bush administration.

The second part of the show focuses on what developments might be seen in terms of trade, politics and security during the Obama administration. The 2007 Armitage paper as well as Mr. Obama’s stated ideas on international trade form the backdrop to this section.

Finally, possible changes in Japanese domestic politics are discussed within the context of the US/Japan alliance. Such changes are heavily dependent upon the results of the upcoming lower house election, and the impact of such changes on trade is examined.

As always, thank you for listening!

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