Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia editor of The Times and author of several very good books in his own right, reviewed The Iconoclast on 5 September. The coronavirus pandemic has done for Japan’s modest economic recovery and doomed the Tokyo Olympics that were to have been his moment of political rapture. However, Abe’s failures go back further and …
Author: Tobias S. Harris
Tobias Harris is Japan analyst at Teneo Intelligence. He is the author of a forthcoming biography of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The Economist reviews THE ICONOCLAST
In its 3 September 2020 issue, The Economist published a review of The Iconoclast. Abe Shinzo was just five years old in 1960 when protesters surrounded his grandfather’s house in Tokyo. Kishi Nobusuke, then Japan’s prime minister, was in the midst of a pitched battle over Japan’s security treaty with America. Kishi would get his …
FCCJ Press Conference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVo33ro5XIA On Wednesday, 2 September, the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan gave me the opportunity to speak about The Iconoclast and the LDP election to a mixed gathering of reporters at the club in Tokyo and an online audience.
Leadership brief with the Japan Society of New York
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuU3DCL0RXw&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=JapanSocietyNYC On Tuesday, 1 September, I was fortunate to join Dr. Joshua Walker, president of the Japan Society of New York, for a briefing on Abe's resignation with members of the society's board. It was such a fruitful discussion that the Japan Society decided to post it online.
Webinar: Shinzo Abe and his Legacy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jONW5akgMg&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2DiUHtR-8UsdjJMCgyIY-GE-tm4gJvpgmsWE4aae1N0aSn9Jy4qYrWWuY The first stop on my virtual book tour for The Iconoclast was on Tuesday, 1 September when I joined Bill Emmott for a webinar hosted by the Japan Society of the UK. Keiko Iizuka of the Yomiuri Shimbun could only join for a brief moment but contributed a timely briefing on the LDP's leadership …
“Shinzo Abe the globalist”
In an essay for the Nikkei Asian Review, I argued that one of Abe's most important legacies is as Japan's most "globalist" prime minister ever.Some highlights: Abe was repeatedly willing to spend political capital on policies that opened Japan to international trade and capital. Over his nearly eight years in power, he first overcame resistance …
Interview on Intelligence Squared
Before Abe announced his resignation on Friday, I was interviewed for Intelligence Squared's podcast about The Iconoclast. For the most part, the interview addressed the main arguments of the book and Abe's legacy. You can listen below. Show notes are available here.
Bill Emmott reviews THE ICONOCLAST
Bill Emmott, former editor-in-chief of The Economist, correspondent in Tokyo, and author of several notable books on Japan in his own right, not only generously provided a blurb for The Iconoclast but also penned a review for the Japan Society UK.I appreciate his taking the time to read it and write a review, which is …
THE ICONOCLAST reviewed in the Japan Times
Veteran political reporter Eric Johnston reviewed The Iconoclast for the Japan Times on 23 August: Shinzo Abe is Japan’s longest-serving prime minister. His place in the history books is assured. But what about his legacy? That’s a more controversial question and the subject of “The Iconoclast” by Tobias Harris. A senior vice president at Teneo …
THE ICONOCLAST reviewed in the Asia Times
The Asia Times published a review of The Iconoclast on 20 August, the first review: In short, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister is worthy of a biography. And Tobias Harris of the US-based advisory firm Teneo, whose close-up view of Japanese politics had an early boost in 2006-7 when he worked for a Japanese legislator, has …
Tobias S. Harris 