Caption
A weapon is mounted on the Lehit ground robotic system, developed by specialists of the International Legion under the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, during a demonstration in Ukraine on December 9, 2025. (Getty Images)
Caption
Japan's Self-Defense Forces conduct landing training on November 25, 2021, at Tanegashima, an island of Kagoshima Prefecture. (Getty Images)
This event will premiere on this page at 12:00 p.m. EDT, Monday, May 9. Register for the event here
Last week, Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Research Commission on Security presented pathbreaking recommendations to strengthen Japanese defense capabilities, including obtaining a "counterstrike capability" and aiming for a defense budget that is equivalent to 2% or more of GDP. These recommendations are designed to inform the new government’s strategy and have the potential to move Japan away from its traditional defense-only security posture. To examine the report and its recommendations, Hudson Institute will welcome Commission Chairman and former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahisa Sato, and former Minister of Justice Takashi Yamashita , for a discussion with Walter P. Stern Distinguished Fellow Ken Weinstein. Please join us for this timely discussion.
Related Events
09
April 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
New Evidence of China’s Forced Organ Harvesting and a Proposed US Response
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Congressman Chris Smith
Ethan Gutmann
09
April 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
New Evidence of China’s Forced Organ Harvesting and a Proposed US Response
Join Nina Shea in a discussion with Ethan Gutmann and Congressman Chris Smith, the author of the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting bill.
Featured Speakers:
Nina Shea
Congressman Chris Smith
Ethan Gutmann
13
April 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The US Economic Outlook: A Conversation with Pierre Yared
Featured Speakers:
Thomas J. Duesterberg
Pierre Yared
13
April 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The US Economic Outlook: A Conversation with Pierre Yared
Please join Acting Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Pierre Yared for a conversation with Senior Fellow Tom Duesterberg on the first year of the Trump administration’s economic agenda and the key factors shaping the US economy’s outlook.
Featured Speakers:
Thomas J. Duesterberg
Pierre Yared
16 - 19
April 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Citizen and State: Tocqueville, Liberty, and Public Life | Hudson Institute Political Studies Policy Certificate Program
Featured Speakers:
Rachel Mackey
Robert Woodson
16 - 19
April 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Citizen and State: Tocqueville, Liberty, and Public Life | Hudson Institute Political Studies Policy Certificate Program
This certificate program is designed to provide policy professionals with a crash course in military tactics and operational realities.
Featured Speakers:
Rachel Mackey
Robert Woodson
23
April 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
The New India Conference
Featured Speakers:
Nisha Biswal
Kurt Campbell
Vijay Chauthaiwale
Hemang Jani
Kenneth Juster
Amb. Vinay Kwatra
Ram Madhav
Ashok Malik
Bethany Poulos Morrison
Richard Rossow
Joel Scanlon
Moderators:
Lisa Curtis
Bill Drexel
Walter Russell Mead
Aparna Pande
23
April 2026
In-Person Event | Invite Only
The New India Conference
Hudson will convene leading policymakers, strategists, and scholars from India, the US, and their international partners to examine India’s transformation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its implications for global order, US-India relations, and the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.
Featured Speakers:
Nisha Biswal
Kurt Campbell
Vijay Chauthaiwale
Hemang Jani
Kenneth Juster
Amb. Vinay Kwatra
Ram Madhav
Ashok Malik
Bethany Poulos Morrison
Richard Rossow
Joel Scanlon
Moderators:
Lisa Curtis
Bill Drexel
Walter Russell Mead
Aparna Pande
Related Research
Caption
President Donald Trump and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in the Oval Office on August 8, 2025. (Getty Images)
Caption
(Screenshot via Fox News)
Caption
US Airmen conduct preflight operations prior to a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber departing base in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 29, 2026. (US Air Force)
