EVENT DETAILS
Japan has a vital interest in the trajectory of US-China relations as a key US ally that views China’s growing influence as one of its most significant foreign policy challenges. To better understand Japanese perspectives on the outcomes of the September 24 Trump-Xi summit in Washington DC, JCIE USA will host an online discussion featuring two leading experts on China from Japan. The discussion, moderated by JCIE USA Board Member Dr. Sheila Smith, will examine reactions in Japan to the summit’s outcomes, what those outcomes indicate about the state of US-China relations, and their implications for US-Japan relations.
Details are below:
October 1, 2026 (USA) | 8:00–9:00 pm ET
October 2, 2026 (Japan) | 9:00–10:00 am JST
SPEAKERS
Dr. Naoko Eto
Professor, Department of Political Science, Gakushuin University
Naoko Eto is a professor in the Department of Political Science at Gakushuin University. Her main research interests include East Asian affairs and Japan-China relations. She is a member of the Expert Committee on Industrial and Technological Infrastructure Strengthening for Economic Security at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Industrial Structure Council, METI and the Customs and Foreign Exchange Council at the Ministry of Finance (MOF). She was also a visiting research fellow at the School of International Studies, Peking University, the East Asian Institute, Singapore National University, and a visiting senior fellow at the Mercator Institute for China Studies.
Dr. Akio Takahara
Distinguished Visiting Professor, Tokyo Woman’s Christian University; Emeritus Professor, The University of Tokyo
Akio Takahara is Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tokyo Woman’s Christian University and Emeritus Professor of The University of Tokyo. He specializes in contemporary Chinese politics and diplomacy. Akio received his Doctor of Philosophy in 1988 from Sussex University. He served as President of the Japan Association for Asian Studies, Secretary General of the New Japan-China Friendship 21st Century Committee, Dean of the Graduate School of Public Policy at The University of Tokyo, and Director of the Japan International Cooperation Agency Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development. Akio currently serves also as Senior Research Adviser and Councillor of the Japan Institute of International Affairs, among other positions.
Moderator: Dr. Sheila M. Smith
John E. Merow Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Studies, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR); Board Member, JCIE USA
Sheila Smith joined JCIE USA’s Board of Trustees in January 2026. In addition to being John E. Merow Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, she teaches as an adjunct professor at the Asian studies department of Georgetown University and serves on the board of its Journal of Asian Affairs. She also serves on the advisory committee for the U.S.-Japan Network for the Future program of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation. Sheila has previously worked at the East-West Center, was a visiting scholar at Keio University, and has been a visiting researcher at the Japan Institute of International Affairs and the Research Institute for Peace and Security, and at the University of Tokyo and the University of the Ryukyus. She earned her MA and PhD from the political science department at Columbia University.
