Japan’s first female leader, Sanae Takaichi, is facing her first diplomatic test: a meeting with US President Donald Trump. How will the conservative hardliner navigate Japan’s economic crisis, unstable political scene and global tensions?

In this episode: 
Jeffrey J. Hall, (@mrjeffu), Lecturer at Kanda University

Episode credits: 

This episode was produced by Marcos Bartolomé, Haleema Shah and Melanie Marich, with Amy Walters, Farhan Rafid, Fatima Shafiq, Tamara Khandaker and our guest host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz and Sarí el-Khalili. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is the Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

Japan&rsquo;s first female leader, Sanae Takaichi, is facing her first diplomatic test: a meeting with US President Donald Trump. How will the conservative hardliner navigate Japan&rsquo;s economic crisis, unstable political scene and global tensions?
In this episode:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Jeffrey J. Hall, (<a href="https://x.com/mrjeffu">@mrjeffu</a>), Lecturer at Kanda University</li>
</ul>
Episode credits:&nbsp;
This episode was produced by Marcos Bartolom&eacute;, Haleema Shah and Melanie Marich, with Amy Walters, Farhan Rafid, Fatima Shafiq, Tamara Khandaker and our guest host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz and Sar&iacute; el-Khalili.&nbsp;
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is the Take&rsquo;s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera&rsquo;s head of audio.
Connect with us:
@AJEPodcasts on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/AJEPodcasts">X</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajepodcasts/">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AJEPodcasts">Facebook</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzGHKb8i9vTwjZkiFu6LhzsLUKFkYO60I">YouTube</a>

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.

With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.
With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.

The Take

Trump’s back in Tokyo, and Japan has a new leader. Will Sanae Takaichi steer the country through global tensions

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