Japan’s new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe travels to Washington and meets with President Obama in Washington February 20-21, for his first official visit as Prime Minster. The visit comes amid a number of questions about the northeast Asian region. Will the U.S. alliance with Japan draw America into the dispute between China and Japan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands? Will a reportedly more hawkish Abe seek a stronger Japanese military following North Korea’s recent provocations, and how would the U.S. respond to those calls? How will the potential of sequester in the U.S. and broader military budget issues impact expectations that Japan provide stability in the region?

On February 19, 2013 Wilson Center experts conducted and recorded a telephone briefing to answer such questions. The full audio of this briefing is available here.