Prof. McGann is a leading expert of think tanks studies, researching not only think tanks in the United States but also in many other countries. His annual “Global Go To Think Tank Index Report” (Pennsylvania University), which examines more than 6,000 think tanks in the world, has been receiving greater attention through the world now, and he has also just published his new book Think Tanks, Foreign Policy and the Emerging Powers (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). Prof. Calder is a well-known expert on Japanese politics and International Political Economy. He also has published a lot of books including Asia in Washington (Brookings Institution Press, 2014), and also has been involved in many projects of think tanks both in the United States and Japan.

With increased information and communication tools, rapidly changing technological and international landscape, the think tanks have expanded its role and importance in the world in the past decades. Currently, we can see a lot of different types of the think tanks from autonomous to government affiliate having different functions, depending on the different political systems and the environment of civil society. It is reported that the think tanks have now more influence in the emerging powers, such as India and China. On the contrary, in the United States, the decline of the influence and the raison d’etre of think tanks in Washington D.C. is also argued under the Trump administration where the President himself and his closer staff have made many important policy decisions without much consultation with policy makers.

In the rapidly changing world environment and United States, what will be the role of the think tanks for the future, what will be the necessary changes to tackle with the new challenges, Prof. McGann and Prof. Calder discussed from a broader perspective including the future Japan-U.S. relations and the role of Japan.