BBL Seminars

RIETI's periodic Brown Bag Lunch (BBL) seminars welcome an array of guest experts to share their research and views. The sessions encourage lively discussion that contributes to dynamic policy-related debate.
Presently, BBL Seminars are not open to the public as spaces are limited. Select transcripts are available below.

Past BBL Seminars Reports and Summaries

  • June 7, 2023

    Trade Tensions and the US Soft Power

    • Speaker: WEI Shang-Jin (Professor of Finance and Economics, Professor of International Affairs, and N.T. Wang Professor of Chinese Business and Economy, Columbia University / Former Chief Economist of Asian Development Bank)
    • Commentator: SAHASHI Ryo (Faculty Fellow, RIETI / Associate Professor, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, the University of Tokyo)
    • Commentator: ZHANG Hongyong (Senior Fellow and Policy Advisor, RIETI)
    • Moderator: YIN Ting (Fellow (Specially Appointed) and Policy Advisor, RIETI / Associate Professor, Center for Intergenerational Studies, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University / Associate Professor (Specially Appointed), Tokyo Gakugei University)
  • June 2, 2023

    World Economic Outlook and the Asia Pacific Region: A Rocky recovery

    • Speaker: YOSHIDA Akihiko (Director, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, International Monetary Fund (IMF))
    • Commentator: NAKAJIMA Atsushi (Consulting Fellow, RIETI / Director, Economic and Social Research Institute of Northeast Asia (ERINA-UNP) / Professor, Faculty of International Economic Studies, University of Niigata Prefecture)
    • Moderator: SABURI Masataka (Senior Fellow, RIETI / Special Advisor to the Minister, METI)

    Japanese

  • May 31, 2023

    The Application of Origins of Capitalism in Japan for the New Era

    • Speaker: SHIBUSAWA Ken (CEO, Shibusawa and Company, Inc.)
    • Moderator: IKEYAMA Shigetoshi (Executive Officer, Director of Administration, RIETI)

    Japanese

  • May 26, 2023

    The Invisible Truth about the Japanese Economy - There is no simple “Growth Strategy”

    • Speaker: MOMMA Kazuo (Executive Economist, Mizuho Research & Technologies, Ltd.)
    • Moderator: MORIKAWA Masayuki (President and Chief Research Officer (CRO), RIETI / Specially Appointed Professor, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University)

    Japanese

  • May 25, 2023

    Entertainment Industry Strategy Based on Collaboration Among Government, Industry and Academia: Insights from METI’s two-year project to strengthen competitiveness for overseas expansion of Japanese content (media mix, anime, and mobile games)

    • Speaker: NAKAYAMA Atsuo (Founder&CEO, Re entertainment)
    • Commentator: HORI Tatsuya (Deputy Director, Media and Content Industry Division, Commerce and Information Policy Bureau, METI)
    • Moderator: SABURI Masataka (Senior Fellow, RIETI / Special Advisor to the Minister, METI)

    Japanese

  • May 19, 2023

    2023 White Paper on Small and Medium Enterprises in Japan / 2023 White Paper on Small Enterprises in Japan

    • Speaker: YOSHIDA Naoki (Director, Research Office, Business Environment Department, Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, METI and Director, Regional Economic and Industrial Research Office, Regional Economic and Industrial Policy Group, METI)
    • Moderator: SEKIGUCHI Yoichi (Senior Fellow and Research Coordinator (Research), RIETI)

    Japanese

  • May 17, 2023

    A New Era of INVEST JAPAN - Case studies relating to the use of inbound M&A transactions (cases studies of Japanese companies that leveraged foreign capitals for corporate reforms, management enhancement and dramatic growth)

    • Speaker: MIYAJIMA Hideaki (Faculty Fellow, RIETI / Professor, Faculty of Commerce, Waseda University / Chairman of The Study Group for Issues Relating to Inbound M&A Transactions and Case Studies, METI)
    • Speaker: OTSUKA Hiroyuki (Managing Director and Deputy Head of the Carlyle Japan / Member of The Study Group for Issues Relating to Inbound M&A Transactions and Case Studies, METI)
    • Speaker: YATAGAWA Eiji (Partner, KKR Japan Limited / Member of The Study Group for Issues Relating to Inbound M&A Transactions and Case Studies, METI)
    • Speaker: KAKIMI Naohiko (Director, Investment Facilitation Division, Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau, METI)
    • Moderator: AMANO Fujiko (Director for Investment Collaboration, Investment Facilitation Division, Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau, METI)

    Japanese

  • May 11, 2023

    The Evolution of the U.S. Trade Agenda in the Asia-Pacific Since 2017

    • Speaker: Michael BEEMAN (Visiting Scholar, Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford University (Former Assistant USTR for Japan, Korea and APEC))
    • Moderator: YOSHIDA Yasuhiko (Vice Chairman, RIETI)

    *This BBL Seminar is NOT for Quotation.

  • April 26, 2023

    The East Asian Electronics Sector: The roles of exchange rates, technology transfer, and global value chains

  • April 19, 2023

    Asia's Response to the Collapsing Consensus on Trade