Grimes Discusses Shinzo Abe’s Assassination and Its Impact on Japan

In an appearance on The Jedburgh Podcast, William Grimes, Professor of International Relations and Political Science at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, discusses the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, his conservative policies on national defense and economics, his place in Japan’s history of charismatic leaders, and where Japan goes from here internationally and domestically.

In the interview, Grimes talks about how Abe’s assassination will change Japan, Abe’s keys to effective leadership, as well as Japan’s political, military, and economic impact on the region and the United States. Grimes also speculates on the safety of Japanese politicians and how Abe’s murder might change the country’s casual constituent-politician relationship; Abe’s role in shifting Japanese politics; as well as Japan’s future role in the Indo-Pacific and world politics.

The full podcast can be viewed or listened to below.

Professor William Grimes has taught at Boston University since 1996. He previously served as the Pardee School’s Dean for Academic Affairs, chair of the Department of International Relations, and the first director of the BU Center for the Study of Asia. He is the author of, amongst others, Currency and Contest in East Asia (2008) and Unmaking the Japanese Miracle (2001). Read more about Professor Grimes on his faculty profile.