Professor Yusuke Murakami (Latin American Area Studies, Political Science) served as a host researcher for an interview, which was conducted as young researchers’ international outreach support program in Japan. The interviewee is Associate Professor Saori Kawai of Ryukoku University, who specializes in Brazil’s economic and social issues. The interview was conducted at the Center on 3 March 2025 and was compiled into a video titled “Japan and Brazil: Prospects for Cooperation,” which was released on 31 March. Professor Murakami, along with Jonathan Soble, former Tokyo bureau chief of the Financial Times and acting as the MC, introduced Associate Professor Kawai and her research.

With Brazil having hosted last year’s G20 Rio Summit and set to host this year’s COP30, along with Brazilian President Lula’s state visit to Japan in March—the first by a foreign head of state since the COVID-19 pandemic—the country has garnered significant attention as a major regional power in Latin America and a key player in the Global South. In the video, Associate Professor Kawai discusses Brazil’s socioeconomic trajectory over the past 30 years, from the neoliberal reforms at the end of the 20th century to efforts to correct the distortions caused by these reforms in the early 21st century, and the challenges of low economic growth, coupled with rising corruption and insecurity in the 2010s. She also explores the history of Japan-Brazil relations, particularly given that Brazil is home to the largest Japanese diaspora in Latin America. Professor Murakami emphasizes the importance of Japan and Brazil working together as partners in shaping a new international order for the 21st century.