On Thursday's Backchat, we talked about Sanae Takaichi, the leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party who was voted in on Saturday. She is set to become Japan's first female prime minister – to replace Shigeru Ishiba – after a vote in parliament to be held next Wednesday.

After the break, we heard from the local Bar Association about their visit to London last week for the Opening of the Legal Year 2025 in England and Wales.

And to end the show, we learnt about how robots can help fill labour gaps caused by demographic shifts on the mainland, after a report found that the nation's factories had installed nearly 300,000 industrial robots last year. 

9:05am-9:30am: Sanae Takaichi set to become Japan's first female PM

Speakers: 

Masaru Yarime, Associate Professor at the Division of Public Policy, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 
Josef Gregory Mahoney, Professor in Politics and International Relations, East China Normal University, Shanghai

9:32am-9:45am: Local opportunities for UK arbitration firms

Speaker:

José-Antonio Maurellet SC, Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association

9:45am-10:00am:  AI robots plug labour gap

Speaker: 

Raj Shroff, AI consultant