 everybody welcome back to looking to the east really grateful that you're tuning in today, we're going to be talking about politics today. As you know, the United States has a new president and he has been in his office now for just about 100 days. I'm sure that on the domestic side, think tech is taking a look at how, how President Biden has been doing over the last 100 days but I wanted to do that as well. But do it from an international perspective. So we have two very excellent guests that also I have a consign guide I connection. Let me start with Dr Paul Scott, whom I've had on the show before. I'm talking about politics. Dr Scott is a professor emeritus from consign guide at university and as I recall. Dr Scott you studied at Virginia University of Virginia and also at so I, and he currently resides in Paris France. So I'm asking Paul, even though he is an American like the three of us, but as an expatriate living in Paris to European perspective on how Biden has done in his first 100 days so thank you very much. All for joining us today. And then, yep, a second guest also has a consign guide I connection is a consign guide I graduate. And he has also been a guest on my show before so we have some repeat visitors there's going to be a special gift for both of you now that you've been on the show twice. And I'll have to the show is over. So junior is a as I mentioned because I got a graduate and a long term resident of Japan. He's a partner at Kitahama partners which is one of the major law firms in the consign area. And I've asked him to take up the perspective as an expat in Japan to take a look at how Biden has been doing over the last 100 days or so. So as with so many of my shows it's triggered by articles that I find or people send me from the New York Times. And just last week there was an article stating Biden's popularity numbers which are quite incredible. And the fact that he seems to be supported not just by the moderate part of the Democratic Party, which is was a primary support for him in the election process but also the progressive part of the party, as well as a result his popularity numbers are when he was elected when he came into office is 98%. And it's still in the 90s now for Democrats, of course it's lower for Republicans, but overall his support from the country is in the 50% range. Let's talk about that first though guys. Is this mostly or partly because we're all going through a decompression of no Trump is a lot of Biden support, just the fact that he is not Trump and that we're all relieved that we have a new president. How much do you think that is a factor from from your perspective I'll start with you. Well it's an interesting question you know America Americans have a new president but they do not have a new country. And I think that's, that's important. We all know how many people voted for Mr Trump in 2020 almost 75 million people and New York Times. Which used to be the paper on record is is one of the victims actually or one of the casualties of what we have to call Trump ism. And I agree with you completely that there's a great relief among among members of the Democratic Party. That Mr. Mr Trump is gone and Mr Biden, who was widely dismissed a year and a half ago is now is now president on the Republican side, you're completely correct. That the support is is is not enthusiastic. And since I've been invited to talk about about Europe. And we have to be careful because there's an old Europe and a new Europe. And I'll make that distinction maybe a little bit later there's also great relief that that Mr Trump is is not is not president but to think that we're going to go back to 2008. Which means the first year of the Obama administration or 2009 to be to be correct. And no one expects that one is expecting that in Europe so a little more. There's some, I think there's some, I may maybe the view from Europe is is more sober about the expectations of American leadership. And to go back to America as a preeminent power a hyperpower. If you if you like so people are waiting to see. Oh really. Early from a European perspective to make a call one way the other. Yeah, you know it's extremely interesting because I don't want people to start laughing at this. You know it's sort of sleepy Joe and you know questions about his mental acuity but the Financial Times just the other day had an article about Mr Biden calling him audacious. And talking about what Biden has done in his 100 days, which is basically to not to destroy Reaganism. And we know Mr Reagan was famous for saying that government is the problem and to have small government and cut to cut budgets and here Mr Biden is doing something that some people are saying is just absolutely audacious. Again, by spending 1.9 trillion for COVID relief, which everyone which most, most, I would think everyone in the US is is happy about and, and perhaps 3 trillion in an infrastructure jobs creation program. My rough math would make that $5 trillion that both of these go through. Instead of a type of European you know in current, in current, in current, in current, in current ism sort of in very cautious approach that Biden is really trying to address both domestic and foreign policy linking them to the common man. You know Obama President Obama was not audacious is extremely cautious and you know his approach. You know, Obama Trump and Biden, all three of them, certainly understood that America would with face challenges and, and all three of them completely different personalities. All approached what to do with this. Not declining us power just more competitiveness. And so the Europeans are thinking well you know, Trump is is interesting he, he shattered. He shattered something that perhaps needed to be shattered which is the Europeans have to be less dependent on the Americans. There is China, which people, which the Europeans see as a rising power, and also what Trump did was basically tell the Europeans that you can't rely on the Americans anymore. And I think, and I think that is, you know, if we were to do another show on what Trump ism is because everyone concentrated personality, which is the wrong thing to to to concentrate on. Yeah, I'll take that as a note, although that would not be as pleasant as the subject of this show. But I think that's a very good suggestion to look at the lingering effects of Trump. So the Europeans are saying the Americans aren't trustworthy and they're linking that to domestic politics. Yeah, let me, yeah, I'm sorry to talk so much but you're okay, no fall appreciate the feedback on that. European see American domestic policy as domestic challenges as not systemic racism, but systemic failures. All right, so about systemic racism in another in another. Yeah, so that's so very interesting, Stephen. Yeah, there's a nice pause. Yeah, we don't have Trump right in front of us anymore. But things, things have changed fundamentally. Before the show started, you and I were chatting briefly that Prime Minister Suga was just in the United States and he's the first foreign leader to have a chance to visit the new president in the White House. Thank you the same question I asked Paul from from your perspective as a long term resident of Japan also you're affiliated with the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, former vice president former governor of the consulate region. What do you think, what's your perspective on this is Japan also experiencing this relief from the Trump administration or maybe that's not so pronounced here or what do you think the general perception is of how Biden is doing in the first three months. Right, well, you know, thank first of all thank you very much, Steve very happy to be on the show, I think you're correct that relief is one of the major emotions that that people are feeling right now you know given sort of the unpredictability and chaos that was a kind of a hallmark of the previous administration. You know, as far as you know his his performance, it is still a little bit of a wait and see I do believe I mean things have gotten off to a good start I mean you had Secretary of State Blinken, you know who was who was here in Japan last month. The first foreign leader as you mentioned for Biden to meet is Prime Minister Suga, which again shows the strength of the US Japan relationship and the respect that the two countries have for one another. As you know I think, in addition to relief, it's just a return to predictability and stability that I think a lot of people appreciate here in Japan and I think in Asia in general. One thing that may be a little bit different from the you know European perspective, and you know I again I say this is someone who's a joint citizen I'm a check as well as an American so I hear quite a bit from from, you know both sides on. But, you know, here in Japan. As we know vice, well it was Vice President Biden was Vice President President Obama. President Obama's policy in in East Asia toward Japan, particularly as you know vis-à-vis China was seen with with a bit of skepticism here in Japan, particularly because of the you know advancements as far as you know the the encroachment of China, you know into this you know South China Sea and in other areas. So, look, I think that that, you know, President Biden is very well known here in Japan he has a lot of connections here, but you know it is it is sort of a wait and see, particularly how the Biden administration is going to handle thorny issues, such as China and other things going forward. Yeah, it'll be interesting to see when he makes his first Asia trip and also follow whether he comes to Asia before Europe or maybe he visits Europe first. He's hosting actually the 22nd of this month on Earth Day he's he's hosting a climate summit. Oh, I see. And that's, we will see, you know, there was great joy when when Biden, you know rejoined or announced, you know to rejoin the Paris Accords. But it's the US and China, the world's greatest polluters will have to cooperate on these matters and there's been there's been degrees of cooperation. And I heard President Biden, you know, talk about, you know, climate change is an existential threat. And, you know, I'm not that's maybe that's another program as well. No, no, no, it's, it's, it's how things are framed. And, you know, it's, it's, you know, framing, framing it as an existential threat in, when we're not even out of a pandemic is and how what what policy, especially at the economic level. For carbon emissions and how much money is going to be spent on this will be will be interesting so. So we'll see how the how Mr Biden can can lead, you know, these thorny issues, especially involving the United States, China and India, as rising polluters and carbon emissions. Yeah, so for our listeners. One thing that's been a distraction, at least on this topic. And maybe Jerry you'll agree with me is that the, we have the fourth wave, going here in Japan with the pandemic, especially where we live in Kansai now the Osaka prefecture and also prefecture. I think to some extent that's crowded the Biden activity off the front pages and so forth. So, a little bit consumed with domestic issues in terms of trying to manage this pandemic which that could be another show guys is Japan's poor response to the whole pandemic and the fact that it's now 50% of people Americans are now vaccinated the least the first shot and I think it's less than 1% still here in Japan. But anyway, let's go back to the topic for the show and that is Paul kind of addresses some of the accomplishments of the Biden administration through the first 90 days I think the, the biggest thing Paul mentioned is the $1.9 trillion relief bill that was passed through and the funding from the government directly to American citizens to try and get the economy to recover from the pandemic and then also this proposed new bill that's roughly $3 trillion to try and reinvigorate the infrastructure and accomplish a whole basket full of different things I think from my perspective. One of the amazing things of the Biden administration so far is that he actually has shepherded a major bill through Congress with no support from the Republicans as we know, and is now planning to do even more government support for the economy, which would include Paul to your point investments in American energy and ecological issues as well. So our, let's start with you Paul again and just very briefly, are you, are you surprised that all of this is happening so quickly. I was, I was going to say that, and you can. I was going to say that, you know, I am shocked. Absolutely shocked that Biden becomes the sort of you know Tom Brady of politics you know drafted 199. I wasn't expected, you know him to to Brady to be the perhaps the greatest quarterback and NFL history and here's Biden, who becomes sort of the default president at age 78, and in his first 100 days. He's the executive orders, which is, again, another debatable point but he has, he has been to repeat myself audacious. And I think he's, we've underestimated either or not him in his ability. I'm not sure about leading. Because there are people behind the scenes obviously but a raft of legislation, a whole different vocabulary, setting America on a different path. Some of the woke ism of the extreme left. He's, he's managing that I think, and I'm shaking my head I think and makes a lot of people uncomfortable here in Europe. The front page of a major magazine, just published a couple of days ago. The way to put it on the screen was, you know, basically talking very very negative towards the extreme left. And as we know here in Europe. The, the right is much more powerful than the left and there's an election here in France next next year, and one in Germany as well. And alternative for Germany and of course Marine Le Pen here in France, the conservatives in England and also in Scandinavia and in other countries in Europe. Not all that the right is resonating much more than the left. So people are afraid of a, or the left is not messaging effectively. And so I saw that front page magazine article of, we don't want to go the way the Americans are going with the left. The extreme left, excuse me. And that's, yeah, that's an interesting point. It's a very, it's a very tough. You know, let's not make the US California, we could say. And that reminds me of some conversations we've had over the last couple of years as well. Right. Yeah, I think the progressive wing or group of the Democratic Party is, is frankly surprised at the direction of Biden who ran as a moderate, primarily has taken. Since he became president, it's quite remarkable. And we do have a question, maybe I'll address this to you, jury, although I'd like to get your response also or your impressions over the first 90 days and what Biden has been able to accomplish but the question from one of our viewers is does Japan and Paris respect Biden, as much as they respected Obama. I want to start with you, Jerry, do you think the Japan public opinion is very positive about Biden as it was. Well, again, I still think we're in the wait and see and again, I wouldn't overestimate the love for Obama in Japan and Asia. Again, I think we also have to remember that President Obama followed George W. Bush who if you were doing a contest for the worst post war president is thankful that Donald Trump. Because if you know, so that said, I think, I think people in Japan appreciated and liked Obama again because he was he was better than George W. Bush but President Obama's policies and again I say this I was actively involved in the Obama campaign so I'm a huge Obama supporter, but by the same token, there were people who were critical of, you know, Obama's President Obama's policies here in Japan, particularly vis-à-vis China. Okay, interesting. So to answer the question, Biden has to, you know, live up to and exceed that. So we'll see how it goes. We're still in that mode. Okay, Paul, you have any comments about that? You know, Obama was the rock star. This is from a European perspective? Well, you know, his whole story was of myth and heroic myth, if you like. And I think he underperformed. And maybe that is with all respect to lawyers. That was his training. No, no, I'm very serious to respect. Very balanced and trying to see both sides. Paul, I have a word. He was also a professor. Guys, I have a word on my show. No fighting among the gas. Lawyers versus professors. His nickname was, you know, no drama Obama and but he, he was very cautious. And that his, you know, I didn't work in the Obama administration. So he was he was very, very cautious. And back to the very cautious cautious as far as China and not confrontational. Mr. Trump, of course, the master of the great disruptor in many ways. And he thought that was by disrupting and then doing sort of transactional negotiations, if you like, of dividing and conquer and having advantage at an individual level. Mr. Trump thought that was the way to lead and exactly as exactly as, as you said, this is resulted in chaos. So, Mr. Mr. Biden is grandfatherly and calm and controlled and he's going to, but I also feel that he might have to be very cautious with Biden because he has to, he's not leading through the power of speech and through rhetoric and that's what Obama did. His speech writers were brilliant Obama's and he could speak like Ronald Reagan. Not like Ronald Reagan but in a in a theatrical way, just brilliant. And no one's expecting that from from Biden. It seems to be keeping a much lower profile than certainly Obama did or certainly Trump Trump was in the news every single day I mean we all went through Trump fatigue. So a couple minutes left guys that I, I know we don't have enough time to address this but looking to the crystal ball, we're seeing economists, even Republicans now we're forecasting an economic boom in Japan. So, what do you think's going to transpire over the next couple of years maybe if you can just give me a one minute response are we. We have a very successful presidency here based on the first 90 days and how things may play out over the next year so there's always on unknowns but what do you think what what's your forecast just briefly. Let me start with you Jerry, what would you say 30 seconds tell me what's going to happen over the next three and a half years or so. I think that that President Biden is going to focus on pandemic, which I think is actually his greatest accomplishment to hopefully get us out of that I think infrastructure is going to be next. I do believe that he does have an opportunity to be a very successful President, again stability predictability, both, you know, especially internationally I think he's going to have an, you know, the ability to rehabilitate the image of the United States. We'll see domestically I think he's going to have a number of challenges domestically, and we will just really have to see how those happen and again I as as Professor Scott said, we may have a different president but not a different country. Paul any last words we just have about half a minute left. There is the list of put of crises that Mr Biden has to has to deal with both at the at the foreign relations level, China and North Korea. At the top of the list but also with back to Europe, what to do with Russia. And Russia and energy and energy energy scarcity as a as a conflict point is something that is on the minds of all Europeans because there are many countries in Europe that 100% dependent on Russian on Russian energy. So Russia deals with whether it wants to be complimentary in the system. And whether China wants to be complimentary is with with the United States. I think both the Europeans and the Chinese have to be very, very careful about underestimating American power. Okay, well thank you guys, the time has just flown by as I knew it would with the two of you really appreciate you taking time out for you very late at night Paul and for jury for us in Japan a little bit early in the morning. Really enjoy talking to you and I hope our viewers and those of you that take a look at this recording later on enjoy the show. I'll be on again in two weeks and I'm going to look at venture capital in Japan that will be the topic for looking to the audience and thank you Paul and jury so much for participating today, and to my viewers. I'll see you guys all in a couple of weeks or so. Thank you. Thank you for inviting us.