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Eye on East Asia · show cover
Eye on East Asia

256 The End of the 25-Year "LDP-Komeito" Coalition; Sanae Takaichi Needs Diplomatic Maneuvering to Become Prime Minister

Topics for this episode: Divorce of a mature couple?! The 26-year ruling coalition ends due to a personnel appointment? "Ugly appetite"? The "Aso faction" and "Abe faction" regain control of the LDP leadership Polls show Japanese voters recognize the "slush fund issue" as the most important reason for the split Komeito and Soka Gakkai: From a new religion to the "well-diggers" of the normalization of Sino-Japanese relations Predictions for the three scenarios of the Prime Minister designation election next Tuesday (October 21)

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Eye on East Asia · show cover
Eye on East Asia

255 Sanae Takaichi's Comeback Victory in LDP Presidential Election: Domestic and Foreign Policy Tests for Japan's First Female Prime Minister

Topics for this episode: Sanae Takaichi elected as president, did Eye on East Asia's predictions fail? Where did Shinjiro Koizumi lose this time? The impact of Takaichi's election: Was Taro Aso the biggest winner? The chaotic situation of the prime ministerial designation election is foreseeable Prime Minister Takaichi will face scrutiny from over 60% of economic voters

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Eye on East Asia · show cover
Eye on East Asia

254 Bold Predictions for the LDP Presidential Election: A 44-Year-Old Prime Minister, a Female Prime Minister, or Another Scenario?

Topics in this episode: Schedule for updates during the National Day holiday + promotion of the paid mini-album Is Koizumi a sure thing? Hold on! Characteristics and voting procedures of the LDP presidential election How did Sanae Takaichi "lose momentum"? Hayashi Yoshimasa steadily aiming for "second place, pushing for first"

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Eye on East Asia · show cover
Eye on East Asia

253 Advising People to Be Cattle and Horses in Japan, Beware of Being Cut to Pieces: Bitter Tales of the Japanese Workplace

In this episode, host Sha Qingqing invites guest Xiao Hou, who has lived and worked in Japan for many years, to share her observations, insights, and the bitterness and hardships from over a decade of struggling in the Japanese workplace. By comparing her different experiences in traditional large Japanese companies and foreign-invested enterprises, we gain a glimpse into the profound differences in Japanese workplace culture and the situation of women in the Japanese workplace.

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Eye on East Asia · show cover
Eye on East Asia

251 Ishiba Shigeru Announces Resignation: Ambition Cannot Overcome Weakness, Great Aspirations Cannot Defeat Petty People

Topics of this episode: After holding on for over a month, why did Ishiba Shigeru still resign? How do South Korean media view Ishiba Shigeru's departure? Where will South Korea-Japan relations go? Analysis of the impact of Ishiba Shigeru's departure on China-Japan relations The lingering echoes of LDP factional politics are sounded by Aso Taro Have Ishiba Shigeru, Suga Yoshihide, and Koizumi Shinjiro formed an alliance?

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Eye on East Asia · show cover
Eye on East Asia

[Live · Tokyo Podcast Festival Recap] Sha Qingqing x Wang Guangtao: Concerns over the Far-Right Shift in Japanese Society and the Future Direction of Its Political Landscape

On August 10, 2025, in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, hosts of multiple Chinese-language podcasts, including Eye on East Asia, gathered together to present a rare "Chinese Podcast Carnival" for the Chinese community in Japan. The event consisted of three dialogues and one Q&A interactive session. Both the guests and the live audience expressed their welcome for domestic podcast hosts to hold more events in Japan and to engage more with the Chinese community in Japan. This episode presents the complete content of the dialogue between host Sha Qingqing and Wang Guangtao, Associate Professor at the Center for Japanese Studies at Fudan University, for the enjoyment of our listeners. We also look forward to Chinese-language podcasts continuing to hold offline exchange events in overseas locations with significant Chinese communities, including Japan.

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Eye on East Asia · show cover
Eye on East Asia

248 [80th Anniversary of Japan's Surrender] Listen to Aizhe from Story FM talk about his Japanese midwife, Liu Yan

Topics for this episode: My midwife in the Northeast was actually Japanese The process of searching for the midwife also made up for a piece of Northeastern nostalgia In the late stages of World War II, cruel forced collective suicides occurred in many parts of Japan After many twists and turns, the midwife's descendants were luckily found Liu Yan's later life in the autobiography

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Eye on East Asia · show cover
Eye on East Asia

243 Tariffs and Immigration Deal Heavy Blow to LDP Election Prospects; Lack of Challengers on Both Sides; Shigeru Ishiba Flying Low

Topics in this episode: [Chinese Podcast Carnival · Tokyo Summer Festival] Trump Brazenly Imposes 25% Tariffs on Japan and South Korea, Shaking Japanese Politics Trump Still Living in the 1980s Shigeru Ishiba May Face the Awkward Situation of Not Having a Majority in Either House Same Tariffs, Different Circumstances: Which Industries Are Facing Difficulties Under the 25% Rate?

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Eye on East Asia · show cover
Eye on East Asia

242 Tips for Visiting the Osaka Expo After a 7.5 Rating: A Major Prophecy for Sino-Japanese Civil Relations in the Next Two Years

Topics for this episode: Returning from the Expo: So~ hot~! So~ many~ people~! The large wooden roof was stunning. US Pavilion: Mediocre, focusing on vitality. French Pavilion: Awesome! Another day of being obsessed with France! Chinese Pavilion: As expected, mediocre and conventional.

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Eye on East Asia · show cover
Eye on East Asia

241 [Three-Person Bureau] If You Ask How Japan and Korea Spend the Summer: Fireworks in One Hand, Watermelon in the Other

Topics for this episode: Observations from the South Korean election scene: vastly different atmospheres and moods between the two sides A hard advertisement for Hebei tourism suddenly appears in Moon Jae-in's bookstore Where is the seaside spot most beloved by young Koreans? The most tragic 'fireworks festival' in all of Japan, plagued by misfortune Young Koreans prefer 'playing in the mud' over 'fireworks'

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Eye on East Asia · show cover
Eye on East Asia

240 "Reiwa Rice Riots": Shinjiro Koizumi's Political Highlight Show; "Summer of Elections": Shigeru Ishiba Feeling His Way Across the River

Topics of this episode: Rice prices have risen by 70% on average over the past year and a half, striking a chord in the hearts of the Japanese people. The gaffe by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries instead boosted Shinjiro Koizumi. Old rice, older rice, oldest rice... From the GHQ's land redistribution after World War II to the long-standing "production adjustment policy." Yesterday's postal service, today's agricultural cooperatives: Does Shinjiro exhibit his "father's style"?

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Eye on East Asia · show cover
Eye on East Asia

236 Osaka Expo Starts Slow, Hopes for a Strong Finish; Major Japanese Cities Launch Redevelopment Waves

Topics in this episode: Where to go for summer travel? If you haven't decided, consider Osaka? Fan Yiru went to the Expo in early June to "scout ahead" for everyone The awkward Kansai Expo hopes for a turnaround in reputation Why has this Expo been "unpopular" from the start? Expos born in the 19th century are no longer the "hot commodity"

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Eye on East Asia · show cover
Eye on East Asia

233 South Korea Elects a President, Trump Adds Tariffs: A New Era for East Asian Geopolitics?

Topics for this episode: Sighs: The farce of "Winter in Seoul" finally draws to a close Sha Qingqing: South Korea's democratic forces set a bottom line for the farce Quan Xiaoxing: South Korea's social mechanisms expose their loopholes, but there is still hope The implications of the Constitutional Court's 8-0 ruling If Lee Jae-myung is elected, how will South Korea's foreign relations shift?

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Eye on East Asia · show cover
Eye on East Asia

227 The Demon Child Causes a Ruckus in the Sea of Japan: Viewing the Hit "Ne Zha 2" Through the Different Development Paths of Post-War Chinese and Japanese Animation

Topics for this episode: Fan Yiru watched "Ne Zha 2" five times; I'm definitely part of the ten-billion project Analyzing "Ne Zha 2" from the perspective of the historical evolution of animation China and Japan have walked different paths in their century-long animation histories What is the core competitiveness of the animation industry? Keywords for the development of the post-war Japanese animation industry: Commercialization

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Eye on East Asia · show cover
Eye on East Asia

Episode 3: The Decline of the LDP's Money-and-Power Politics and the Challenges of Japanese Political Reform in the Post-Cold War Era

Series: The Rise and Fall of LDP Factional Politics

In the late 1980s, starting with Noboru Takeshita, Japan entered an era where prime ministers changed as frequently as a revolving door. Within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), major black-gold corruption scandals also arose one after another, fueling growing public resentment toward factional politics. In this third episode, the two hosts will detail that "chaotic era" at the transition from the Showa to the Heisei period, taking listeners back to how the LDP lost power in 1993, becoming the opposition party for the first time since 1955. Meanwhile, with the reform toward small electoral districts, what major turning points did factional politics encounter in the post-Cold War era?

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