- International Affairs
- Security & Defense
- US Foreign Policy
- Key Countries / Regions
- Military
- History
- Democracy
- Determining America's Role in the World
- Revitalizing History
Join Shigeru Kitamura, former National Security Advisor of Japan, and Hoover Senior Fellow H.R. McMaster, as they discuss Japan’s transformation into a leader in economic statecraft, how democratic nations can secure strategic autonomy in critical technologies and supply chains, and the future of US-Japan cooperation in confronting coercion, cyber threats, and growing competition in the Indo-Pacific.
The conversation explores Japan’s evolving security strategy in response to growing challenges in the Indo-Pacific, including China’s military modernization, economic coercion, and tensions surrounding Taiwan and the East China Sea. Kitamura and McMaster also discuss Japan’s changing defense posture, the role of critical technologies and resilient supply chains, and the importance of the Quad and other partnerships across the Indo-Pacific. They examine efforts to deter North Korea, strengthen regional security, and deepen US-Japan cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Recorded on June 30, 2026.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Shigeru Kitamura is the former Secretary General of Japan’s National Security Secretariat and Japan’s National Security Advisor from 2019 to 2021. Earlier in his career, he held senior positions in Japan’s intelligence and law enforcement communities, including Director of Cabinet Intelligence and Executive Secretary to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Following his government service, he helped draft Japan’s Economic Security Promotion Act, which established economic resilience and technological protection as central elements of national strategy. Kitamura joined the National Police Agency in 1980 after graduating from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law. He is the author of major works on intelligence and economic security and remains an influential voice on statecraft, technology, and national power.
H.R. McMaster is the host of Today's Battlegrounds. He is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is also the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and lecturer at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He was the 25th assistant to the president for National Security Affairs. Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1984, McMaster served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Each episode features H.R. McMaster, in a one-on-one conversation with a senior foreign government leader to allow Americans and partners abroad to understand how the past produced the present and how we might work together to secure a peaceful and prosperous future. “Listening and learning from those who have deep knowledge of our most crucial challenges is the first step in crafting the policies we need to secure peace and prosperity for future generations.”
