Welcome to the relaunch of Asia Inside Out, a podcast from the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) that explores the latest news and developments in Asia foreign policy.

Our first guest in our return episode is Rahm Emanuel, United States Ambassador to Japan. A well established figure in American politics, he was most recently the Mayor of Chicago from 2011 to 2019. Prior to that he served as the White House Chief of Staff under President Barack Obama, and before that as a member of the United States House of Representatives.

In this conversation with ASPI Managing Director Rorry Daniels, Ambassador Emanuel talks to us about how Japan is increasingly taking the lead on major diplomatic initiatives, why America’s brand in Asia is strong, and how quickly Japanese society is changing. 

Asia Inside Out brings together our team and special guests to take you beyond the latest policy headlines and provide an insider’s view on regional and global affairs. Each month we’ll deliver an interview with informed experts, analysts, and decision-makers from across the Asia-Pacific region. If you want to dig into the details of how policy works, this is the podcast for you. 

This podcast is produced by the Asia Society Policy Institute, a “think-and-do tank” working on the cutting edge of current policy trends by incorporating the best ideas from our experts and contributors into recommendations for policy makers to put these plans into practice.