AP Initiative Chairman Yoichi Funabashi delivered the 2019 Alastair Buchan Lecture at the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Annual Dinner on November 13, 2019.

Dr. Funabashi’s speech, titled “We are all small countries now,” examined issues currently facing Japan on the global stage. Dr. Funabashi argued that the United States under President Donald Trump has weakened the liberal international order and has contributed to the return of geopolitics in the Asia-Pacific. China, meanwhile, presents challenges through its embrace of “illiberal innovation,” which Dr. Funabashi stated can be matched through the development of technology and the fostering of innovation.

Dr. Funabashi argues for Japan to make contributions to the international community as a so-called “small country” and as a “rule-shaper.”

Please click here to watch Dr. Funabashi’s speech