For this episode of the Sosh Podcast, MAJ Haz Yano interviews Professor Stephen Saideman from Carleton University to talk about the state of civil-military relations in Japan. They discuss Japan’s increasingly perilous security situation, whether Japan’s defense structure is well-suited to meet new emerging threats, and how the focus on Article 9 leads to a concerning lack of civilian oversight on the Self Defense Forces.    Please send any comments, questions, and suggestions to SoshResearchLab@westpoint.edu.      Prof. Stephen Saideman holds the Paterson Chair in International Affairs at Carleton University’s Normal Paterson School of International Affairs and is the Director of the Canadian Defence and Security Network. He has written numerous books and articles on civil-military relations, nationalism, ethnic conflict, civil war, and alliance dynamics. He is currently working on a research project that looks at the role of legislatures in civil-military relations in democracies around the world. You can follow him on Twitter @smsaideman.    MAJ Hazumu Yano is an Instructor of American Politics in West Point’s Department of Social Sciences. He has prior experience working with the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force, having participated in joint exercises and served as an interpreter during engagements. His research interests focus on civil-military relations. He is also the producer for the Sosh Podcast.      The Sosh Podcast is recorded, edited, and produced by faculty members of the Department of Social Sciences at the US Military Academy, West Point. However, the views expressed on this podcast belong to those of the speakers, and should not be seen as reflective of the official positions of the US Military Academy, the United States Army, the Department of Defense, or any government entity.