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James Brady

Vice President

Dr. James Brady is a Vice President with Teneo’s Political Risk Advisory team and serves as Japan analysis lead. Previously, he led policy research teams at the Asia Pacific Institute of Research (APIR) in Osaka.

He has also advised major governmental clients in the British Isles as an economic consultant and is the author of a recent book on the political economy of Japan.

James attended Trinity College Dublin, Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins SAIS, and earned a Ph.D. from Osaka University. Having lived in Japan for more than a decade, he reads and speaks Japanese at an advanced level.

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Weekly Political Compass 4.14.25Weekly Political Compass 4.14.25 Welcome to this edition of the Weekly Political Compass from Teneo’s political risk advisory team. This week, we are taking a closer look at Japan’s tariff negotiations with the U.S. Meanwhile, Italy’s prime minister travels to Washington, and Mexico and India are also hoping for advantageous deals. Elsewhere, China’s Xi… April 14, 2025 By Wolfango Piccoli, James Brady
What to Watch in 2025: Outlooks for the Year Ahead From Teneo’s Geopolitical Risk TeamWhat to Watch in 2025: Outlooks for the Year Ahead From Teneo’s Geopolitical Risk Team Foreword: The Global Year Ahead As the dust settles on a momentous U.S. election and the incoming administration takes shape, the geopolitical landscape for 2025 is already coming into focus. Against this backdrop, our team of analysts once again explores the critical global trends and regional hotspots demanding attention in… December 10, 2024 By Kevin Kajiwara, Wolfango Piccoli, Manji Cheto, Anne Frühauf, Victor D. Cha, Bob Herrera-Lim, Gabriel Wildau, James Brady, Arpit Chaturvedi, Emily Stromquist, Carsten Nickel, Andrius Tursa, Meghan McDonough, Mario Marconini, Nicholas Watson, Shamaila Ashraf, Jon B. Alterman, James Crossland, Nate Tamarin
South Korea: Yoon Steps Back From the Brink, but Deep Uncertainty ContinuesSouth Korea: Yoon Steps Back From the Brink, but Deep Uncertainty Continues After a sleepless night in Seoul, President Yoon Suk-yeol returned to the airwaves before dawn to announce the lifting of the martial law he had imposed late the previous evening. The cabinet gathered shortly thereafter and confirmed the decision. Troops returned to barracks, and barriers were removed… December 3, 2024 By Victor D. Cha, James Brady
South Korea: With Martial Law Declaration, Yoon Likely Hastens Own DepartureSouth Korea: With Martial Law Declaration, Yoon Likely Hastens Own Departure President Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law in a late-night television address on 3 December was a black-swan event. Tensions had been building across the political spectrum in recent weeks, including separate scandals related to opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung and President Yoon’s wife Kim Keon-hee. Yet the sudden… December 3, 2024 By Victor D. Cha, James Brady
Weekly Political Compass 11.11.24Weekly Political Compass 11.11.24 Welcome to this edition of the Weekly Political Compass from Teneo’s political risk advisory team. This week, we are taking a closer look at Japan’s new minority government. Meanwhile, China has enacted a limited economic package, and the Philippines has passed laws re-asserting sovereignty in disputed parts of the South… November 11, 2024 By James Brady, Wolfango Piccoli
Weekly Political Compass 10.28.24Weekly Political Compass 10.28.24 Welcome to this edition of the Weekly Political Compass from Teneo’s political risk advisory team. This week, we are taking a closer look at the general election outcome in Japan. Meanwhile, the U.S. has approved new missile and radar sales to Taiwan, Georgia may see protests following alleged election irregularities,… October 28, 2024 By Wolfango Piccoli, James Brady
Weekly Political Compass 10.14.24Weekly Political Compass 10.14.24 Welcome to this edition of the Weekly Political Compass from Teneo’s political risk advisory team. This week, we are taking a closer look at Japan’s upcoming elections. Meanwhile, China’s finance ministry has promised to increase fiscal spending, Prabowo Subianto will be sworn in as president in Indonesia, a consequential presidential… October 14, 2024 By James Brady, Wolfango Piccoli
Weekly Political Compass 9.9.24Weekly Political Compass 9.9.24 Welcome to this edition of the Weekly Political Compass from Teneo’s political risk advisory team. This week, we are taking a closer look at the race to succeed Japan’s prime minister. Meanwhile, Thailand’s government published the prime minister’s first policy statement, Mario Draghi has presented his report on enhancing EU… September 9, 2024 By Wolfango Piccoli, James Brady
Weekly Political Compass 3.11.24Weekly Political Compass 3.11.24 Welcome to this edition of the Weekly Political Compass from Teneo’s political risk advisory team. This week, we are taking a closer look at wage negotiations in Japan. Meanwhile, economic charter change might be ahead in the Philippines, presidential elections will be held in Russia, Venezuela’s opposition is debating its… March 11, 2024 By James Brady, Wolfango Piccoli
Weekly Political Compass 1.8.24Weekly Political Compass 1.8.24 Welcome to this edition of the Weekly Political Compass from Teneo’s political risk advisory team. This week, we are taking a closer look at a deepening corruption scandal in Japan. Meanwhile, Taiwan's defense ministry has criticized the mainland China government, Poland’s right-wing opposition is organizing protests against… January 8, 2024 By Wolfango Piccoli, James Brady
What to Watch in 2024: Outlooks for the Year Ahead from Teneo’s Geopolitical Risk TeamWhat to Watch in 2024: Outlooks for the Year Ahead from Teneo’s Geopolitical Risk Team Foreword The Global Year Ahead The events of 2023 suggest that the global system has entered an intense period of structural transition that will reorder geopolitics and reshape the international business environment in fundamental ways. Russia’s war in Ukraine continues, frozen conflicts have reignited in places like Israel/Gaza and Nagorno-Karabakh,… December 6, 2023 By Kevin Kajiwara, Wolfango Piccoli, Anne Frühauf, Emily Stromquist, Victor D. Cha, Bob Herrera-Lim, Gabriel Wildau, James Brady, Arpit Chaturvedi, Carsten Nickel, Andrius Tursa, Shamaila Ashraf, Mario Marconini, Nicholas Watson, Jon B. Alterman, Meghan McDonough, James Crossland, Orson Porter
Weekly Political Compass 12.4.23Weekly Political Compass 12.4.23 Welcome to this edition of the Weekly Political Compass from Teneo’s political risk advisory team. This week, we are taking a closer look at an evolving political funding scandal in Japan. Meanwhile, Chinese health officials have commented on a surge in respiratory illness, the budget crisis continues… December 4, 2023 By Wolfango Piccoli, James Brady
Weekly Political Compass 11.6.23Weekly Political Compass 11.6.23 Welcome to this edition of the Weekly Political Compass from Teneo’s political risk advisory team. This week, we are taking a closer look at G7 debates over the situation in the Middle East. Meanwhile, US and Chinese diplomats held meetings, the European Commission will issue its assessment… November 6, 2023 By Wolfango Piccoli, James Brady
Asia: How the Rise in Conflicts Globally Impacts Asia’s HotspotsAsia: How the Rise in Conflicts Globally Impacts Asia’s Hotspots Growing incidences of conflicts globally raise questions about the effects on Asia, which has some of the world’s most significant geopolitical hotspots. Below, we examine how dynamics in East and Southeast Asia are being influenced by broader global events, for worse or (sometimes) better. The basic takeaway is that there… October 17, 2023 By James Brady, Bob Herrera-Lim, Gabriel Wildau, Victor D. Cha
Japan/US: Ties at a High-Water Mark in 2023Japan/US: Ties at a High-Water Mark in 2023 Amid a flurry of activity this calendar year, the macro-level view is that Japan-US ties have surely never been better nor strategic priorities more closely aligned than they are today. After the restoration of trust during the early part of the Biden administration, Tokyo and Washington are now breaking new… June 13, 2023 By James Brady
Japan: Demographic Decline Tops Kishida’s Agenda as Tax Tussles ContinueJapan: Demographic Decline Tops Kishida’s Agenda as Tax Tussles Continue Demographic decline is the most fundamental issue affecting Japan’s future, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s decision to put children and child-rearing policies at the top of his domestic agenda for 2023 makes sense politically. The issue evokes existential worries about the nation's future among voters, and being seen to take… January 24, 2023 By James Brady
What to Watch in 2023: Outlooks for the Year Ahead from Teneo’s Geopolitical Risk TeamWhat to Watch in 2023: Outlooks for the Year Ahead from Teneo’s Geopolitical Risk Team A year ago, political, corporate and market leaders across the globe contemplated what the buildup of Russian forces along Ukraine’s borders would portend. While the U.S. administration and intelligence community warned that a Russian invasion was likely, many corporate leaders and market participants were nevertheless taken by surprise when it… December 14, 2022 By Kevin Kajiwara, Wolfango Piccoli, Anne Frühauf, James Brady, Victor D. Cha, Bob Herrera-Lim, Gabriel Wildau, Emily Stromquist, Carsten Nickel, Andrius Tursa, Mario Marconini, Nicholas Watson, Shamaila Ashraf, Meghan McDonough, Jon B. Alterman
Asia: Record High LNG Prices Threaten Fragile Post-Pandemic RecoveriesAsia: Record High LNG Prices Threaten Fragile Post-Pandemic Recoveries Record high LNG prices have resulted in large cuts to LNG imports across Asia with varied impacts depending on spot market exposure, fuel-switching options and economic responses. Countries in Southeast Asia tend to be the most exposed, whereas countries like India, China, Japan, or South Korea have more fuel-switching options… September 26, 2022 By Emily Stromquist, Bob Herrera-Lim, Gabriel Wildau, James Brady
Japan: A Balancing Act on Taiwan and China, With Grounds for OptimismJapan: A Balancing Act on Taiwan and China, With Grounds for Optimism Japan is strongly invested in maintaining peace and stability on the Taiwan Strait, given how vital both mainland China and Taiwan are to Japan's economic interests. Japan would have a strong incentive to stay in step with the G7 in the case of heightened tensions, and despite some ambiguity, would… September 7, 2022 By James Brady
Japan: TINA Will Bring Kishida Back in From the DoghouseJapan: TINA Will Bring Kishida Back in From the Doghouse A recuperating Prime Minister Kishida responded humbly to the two-pronged scandal that has burst his cabinet’s net approval ratings since the death of Shinzo Abe. Kishida promised to cut ties between LDP Diet members and the controversial Unification Church and sought to better explain his decision to grant a costly… September 1, 2022 By James Brady
Japan: Abe’s Assassination Does Not Portend Deeper InstabilityJapan: Abe’s Assassination Does Not Portend Deeper Instability The shocking assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe on 8 July is an inflection point in modern Japanese history that will deeply shake political elites and the public alike. However, it is a black swan event and does not portend political or social instability. Sympathy votes may increase the… July 8, 2022 By James Brady
South Korea: Local Elections Landslide Boosts Yoon’s AgendaSouth Korea: Local Elections Landslide Boosts Yoon’s Agenda The conservative People Power Party (PPP) was the clear winner in the 1 June local elections, outpacing expectations to sweep 12 of 17 governorships and over two-thirds of the lower-level leadership posts on the ballot. Given that the PPP’s Yoon Seok-youl won March’s presidential election by a razor-thin margin over Democratic… June 2, 2022 By James Brady
South Korea: Yoon Sets Course on a More Activist Foreign PolicySouth Korea: Yoon Sets Course on a More Activist Foreign Policy This month president-elect Yoon Seok-youl dispatched a foreign policy delegation to Washington to seek early progress on defense issues and prepare the ground for a summit with President Biden on May 21 in Seoul. A delegation to Tokyo met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on 26 April in a significant… April 28, 2022 By Victor D. Cha, James Brady
Japan/Russia: Invasion Fall-Out Continues to Catalyze Change in TokyoJapan/Russia: Invasion Fall-Out Continues to Catalyze Change in Tokyo Japan has continued its maximalist response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, this week calling out “war crimes” and further ramping up financial and economic sanctions. Recent events have undone years of Japanese efforts to improve ties with its northern neighbor, while the downturn in relations has had the least impact… April 8, 2022 By James Brady
Japan: Travel Ban Highlights Tension Between ‘Cool Japan’ and ‘Cruel Japan’Japan: Travel Ban Highlights Tension Between ‘Cool Japan’ and ‘Cruel Japan’ The government will ease the effective ban on most foreign arrivals from March, although it could take more than six months for displaced international workers, students, and others to re-enter the country. Prime ministers since Shinzo Abe have pushed to have the world engage more with Japan economically and culturally,… February 17, 2022 By James Brady
Japan: Next PM Kishida Set To Tweak But Continue With The Abe/Suga FrameworkJapan: Next PM Kishida Set To Tweak But Continue With The Abe/Suga Framework Fumio Kishida has won the LDP leadership race, leveraging Diet members’ support to edge out grassroots favorite Taro Kono in both rounds of the vote. Known as a moderate but mutable right-winger, Kishida is set to govern with a slightly ‘kinder’ variant of Abenomics and a continued commitment to digital… September 30, 2021 By James Brady
Japan: The Silence Defeated Suga, As Eyes Now Turn To KonoJapan: The Silence Defeated Suga, As Eyes Now Turn To Kono Strategic silence from Abe and Aso undermined Yoshihide Suga, but the prime minister’s own gambits hastened his departure. Taro Kono is set to enter the race as the favorite, and Kishida may now be joined by Ishiba and other candidates. The LDP’s prospects for the general election will now improve,… September 7, 2021 By James Brady