Asia Society Museum

LOS ANGELES, June 9, 2026 — LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Sport Manager of Baseball, Softball, and Goalball Joan Garcia Pagán and THE·TEAM President of Global Talent Representation Jason Ranne examine the growing commercial and competitive ties between Japanese and American baseball. Amy Siegel, Co-Head of the Entertainment and Media Industry Group at O'Melveny & Myers, moderates. As part of Asia Society Southern California's U.S.-Japan Initiative Program IV, the conversation traces how Japan's youth and amateur development systems have shaped the current wave of Japanese talent in Major League Baseball, the commercial opportunities opening up around that talent on both sides of the Pacific, and what baseball's return to the Olympics in 2028 could mean for the sport's global growth. Garcia draws on her background at the World Baseball Softball Confederation to address Japan's dominance in international youth competition and the stakes of LA28 being the first Olympic baseball tournament open to MLB players. Ranne, whose agency represents six Japanese-born MLB players, discusses how commercial investment in Japanese athletes has deepened beyond individual breakout stars, and where he sees untapped potential in Japan's baseball talent and infrastructure. Subscribe for more videos like this: http://AsiaSociety.org/YouTube --- Support Asia Society today: http://AsiaSociety.org/Donate --- Subscribe to our newsletter to stay connected: https://asiasociety.org/email-subscriptions --- Facebook: http://facebook.com/AsiaSociety Instagram: http://instagram.com/AsiaSociety Twitter: http://twitter.com/AsiaSociety LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/asia-society/ #baseball #mlb #japan #asiasocietysoutherncalifornia

June 18, 2026 — With the United States and Iran having reached a 60-day memorandum of understanding aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway is set to begin reopening after nearly four months of disruption from the war that began in late February. For Asia, the stakes have been enormous: roughly 80 percent of the oil and 90 percent of the LNG transiting the Strait of Hormuz is bound for the region, and its closure rippled well beyond crude and gas, curtailing flows of jet fuel, fertilizer, naphtha, and helium, and putting stress on chip and medical supply chains. In response, Asian economies have reached for a range of emergency measures such as subsidies, fuel rationing, and reserve draws, while cooperation efforts have also emerged including bilateral energy swaps, Japan's $10 billion POWERR Asia framework, and new mechanisms to keep essential goods flowing. The crisis has also accelerated the region's pivot toward clean energy. Join the Asia Society Policy Institute for a virtual panel discussion with leading experts Tatsuya Terazawa, Chairman and CEO of the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan; Matteo Lanzafame, Director of the Macroeconomics Research Division at the Asian Development Bank; Julia Puspadewi Tijaja, Non-Resident Fellow at CSIS Indonesia; and Jenny Gordon, Honorary Professor for the Centre for Social Research (POLIS) at the Australian National University. They examine the economic toll of the crisis on Asia, how the region's economies have weathered it, whether new forms of cooperation point toward stronger economic security, and how quickly conditions can improve as the Strait reopens. Wendy Cutler, Senior Vice President at the Asia Society Policy Institute, moderates. Subscribe for more videos like this: http://AsiaSociety.org/YouTube --- Support Asia Society today: http://AsiaSociety.org/Donate --- Subscribe to our newsletter to stay connected: https://asiasociety.org/email-subscriptions --- Facebook: http://facebook.com/AsiaSociety Instagram: http://instagram.com/AsiaSociety Twitter: http://twitter.com/AsiaSociety LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/asia-society/ #straitofhormuz #energysecurity #asia #asiasocietypolicyinstitute 00:00 – Panel Introduction 01:49 – Discussion

Louise Adams of Aurecon discusses how the organisation is engaging with Asia and the ideas shaping its work across the region. (7 min., 14 sec.) Part of Member Spotlight, Asia Society Australia’s short-form video series, this behind-the-scenes feature highlights the people and organisations driving Australia’s engagement with Asia. Subscribe for more videos like this: http://AsiaSociety.org/YouTube --- Support Asia Society today: http://AsiaSociety.org/Donate --- Subscribe to our newsletter to stay connected: https://asiasociety.org/email-subscriptions --- Facebook: http://facebook.com/AsiaSociety Instagram: http://instagram.com/AsiaSociety Twitter: http://twitter.com/AsiaSociety LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/asia-society/ #asiasociety #asiasocietyaustralia

Eric Gao of Boman Group discusses how the organisation is engaging with Asia and the ideas shaping its work across the region. (5 min., 56 sec.) Part of Member Spotlight, Asia Society Australia’s short-form video series, this behind-the-scenes feature highlights the people and organisations driving Australia’s engagement with Asia. Subscribe for more videos like this: http://AsiaSociety.org/YouTube --- Support Asia Society today: http://AsiaSociety.org/Donate --- Subscribe to our newsletter to stay connected: https://asiasociety.org/email-subscriptions --- Facebook: http://facebook.com/AsiaSociety Instagram: http://instagram.com/AsiaSociety Twitter: http://twitter.com/AsiaSociety LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/asia-society/ #asiasociety #asiasocietyaustralia

LOS ANGELES, June 9, 2026 — PAG President and Co-Founder Jon-Paul Toppino and Tokyu Land US Corporation Head of Western US Real Estate Investments Ariel Mark compare how Japanese and American capital approach real estate investment across the two markets. Cox, Castle & Nicholson Partner Gregory Karns moderates. (40 min., 27 sec.) As part of Asia Society Southern California's U.S.-Japan Initiative Program IV, the discussion ranges from Japan's shift away from distressed assets toward private equity-style real estate transactions, to why Japanese capital increasingly views U.S. liquidity, legal transparency, and dollar appreciation as a draw. Toppino traces PAG's evolution from non-performing loan investing in the late 1990s to its current $60 billion firm, including a recent acquisition of Sapporo Holdings' real estate arm. Mark details Tokyu Land's approach to building a domesticated U.S. presence for Japanese and broader Asian capital, and the contrast between Japan's high-trust, relationship-driven market and the more transactional nature of U.S. real estate. The conversation also covers rising construction costs and near-zero office vacancy in central Tokyo, the economics of data center development in Japan versus Southeast Asia and India, and the geopolitical risks that could reshape both markets. Subscribe for more videos like this: http://AsiaSociety.org/YouTube --- Support Asia Society today: http://AsiaSociety.org/Donate --- Subscribe to our newsletter to stay connected: https://asiasociety.org/email-subscriptions --- Facebook: http://facebook.com/AsiaSociety Instagram: http://instagram.com/AsiaSociety Twitter: http://twitter.com/AsiaSociety LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/asia-society/ #asiasociety #asiasocietysoutherncalifornia #usjapanrelations #japaneserealestate

LOS ANGELES, June 9, 2026 — Asia Society Policy Institute Senior Vice President Wendy Cutler and USC Gould School of Law Center for Transnational Law and Business Executive Director Brian Peck examine the state of the U.S.-Japan economic relationship amid tariffs, supply chain realignment, and recent tension between Japan and China. (45 min., 39 sec.) As part of Asia Society Southern California's U.S.-Japan Initiative Program IV, the discussion spans Japan's efforts to diversify its trade partnerships beyond the United States, the structure and limitations of the 2025 U.S.-Japan trade framework, and the $550 billion investment commitment Japan made under that agreement. Cutler addresses the shift toward economic security provisions in recent trade deals, the contrast with traditional rules-based agreements negotiated under prior administrations, and the growing urgency around critical minerals as a point of leverage for China. Drawing on her experience as a former lead U.S. trade negotiator, Cutler also reflects on how Japan is navigating its relationship with China, the durability of recent diplomatic gains between the two countries' leaders, and what continued cooperation on economic security could mean for the broader U.S.-Japan alliance. Subscribe for more videos like this: http://AsiaSociety.org/YouTube --- Support Asia Society today: http://AsiaSociety.org/Donate --- Subscribe to our newsletter to stay connected: https://asiasociety.org/email-subscriptions --- Facebook: http://facebook.com/AsiaSociety Instagram: http://instagram.com/AsiaSociety Twitter: http://twitter.com/AsiaSociety LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/asia-society/ #asiasociety #asiasocietysoutherncalifornia #trade #uschinarelations