ChinaTalk Japanese Economic Security Policy with A REAL LIFE METI OFFICIAL
10 snips
Jan 2, 2026 
Nishikawa Kazumi, Principal Director for Economic Security Policy at Japan's METI, shares insights on Japan's evolving industrial policy. He discusses the redefinition of economic security as intertwined with national security and technological supremacy. Nishikawa details Japan's strategic goals of supply-chain autonomy and indispensability, lessons from the rare earth crisis, and the need for public-private collaboration. He also explores export controls on semiconductors and the delicate balance in managing trade relationships with China while strengthening domestic resilience.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
METI Has A New Industrial Playbook
- METI's current economic security work differs sharply from its old industrial policy focused on export-driven national champions.
- Nishikawa reframes today's policy as national-security-driven efforts to protect technologies and supply chains rather than classic industrial promotion.
Economic Security Is Now National Security
- Economic security has evolved from welfare and free trade meanings to being treated as part of national security over the past decade.
- Japan joins other actors in treating economic and technological strength as core to national survival in a destabilizing world.
Two Pillars Guide Japan's Strategy
- Japan's economic-security goals rest on two pillars: technological indispensability and supply-chain autonomy.
- Nishikawa uses these to prioritize when to diversify, control exports, or invest strategically.