Last week I recklessly tested my physical stamina by visiting Washington, Seattle and San Francisco only for three nights/five days. At the U.S. capital, I was a panelist in a discussion titled "The policy priorities after the fall elections in Japan and the United States" co-organized by the Canon Institute for Global Studies and the Stimson Center.
In the Emerald City, on the next day, I was invited to speak at the annual meeting of National Association of Japan-America Societies on "Security in East Asia: A Regional Perspective." And finally, in the Golden Gate City, I was lucky to be able to briefly babysit my 1-year-old granddaughter, a U.S. citizen.
Wherever I went, people talked about the trade war between the U.S. and China. In my presentation, I always stated that "there may be neither exits nor points of compromise in this trade war, because this is not a simple economic issue but is rather another aspect of the 'strategic and geopolitical rivalry' between the two major powers."