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Taku Tamaki

Lecturer in International Relations, Loughborough University

Taku Tamaki is a Lecturer in International Relations, specialising in the international political dynamics of the Asia-Pacific region. After gaining his PhD at Aberystwyth, he was Research Fellow at the Institute of Asian Cultural Studies at International Christian University in Tokyo, and taught International Relations at Plymouth before moving to Loughborough in 2007. He has taught a wide range of courses on international politics and international political economy, including International Relations Theory, the United Nations and International Organisations, The Asia-Pacific in Global Politics, and the International Political Economy of the Asia-Pacific Region.

Having spent four years as a US Treasuries broker at Cantor Fitzgerald (Tokyo office), he brings first-hand experience of political economy to the classroom, having experienced the market turmoil immediately following the announcement of the collapse of Barings Bank in 1995.

Taku is interested in applying the concepts of International Relations and Social Theory to the international political-economic dynamics of the Asia-Pacific region. His main focus is on Japanese foreign policy in East Asia, spanning both Tokyo’s diplomatic- and economic relations with Asia and the US.

His current research investigates the images of Asia in contemporary Japanese foreign- and economic policy pronouncements. Here, he explores how policy elites understand and explain Asia as both a threat and opportunity—an interpretation that transcends both the past and present. He is also looking into Japan’s soft power projection in Western Europe, researching on the way Japanese government perceives its political- and economic activities in the EU and the UK.

He has published in leading journals in international relations and the international politics of the Asia-Pacific, including The Pacific Review, International Relations, and the International Relations of the Asia-Pacific.

Global Geopolitics Series

Caught between Trump and Kim, Japan is nervous and alone

Sep 11, 2017 14:53 pm UTC| Insights & Views

North Koreas nuclear test, by far its largest, came less than a week after it test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that flew over northern Japan, triggering a national text-message system known as the...

Japan has turned its culture into a powerful political tool

Apr 26, 2017 07:49 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Much has been made of Japans recent turn away from pacifism and growing military muscle, but Tokyo is also extending its global reach in more subtle ways. Japan is especially serious about increasing its soft power, the...

An ageing emperor steps down – and leaves Japan at an awkward crossroads

Aug 10, 2016 15:42 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Emperor Akihitos recent statement to the Japanese nation had been anticipated for some time, but it was nonetheless a startling moment. Akihito refrained from uttering the a-word, but the message was clear: he wants to...

Obama's Hiroshima visit was hugely momentous – and bitterly ironic

May 27, 2016 16:03 pm UTC| Insights & Views

After accepting an invitation from the Japanese government, Barack Obama has become the first sitting president of the US to visit Hiroshima, the site of the first ever atomic bombing. Speaking in front of the Hiroshima...

Economy

Nasdaq Hits Record High as Tech Stocks Lift Wall Street

Wall Street stocks advanced on Monday as gains in mega-cap technology shares offset pressure from elevated Treasury yields, while the US dollar strengthened and oil prices declined. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained...

European Stocks Diverge as French Fiscal Crisis Hits CAC 40

European stocks ended mixed on Monday as Frances worsening fiscal concerns pushed the CAC 40 to a six-month low, while stronger Eurozone business activity and softer U.S. employment data supported other regional markets....

Trump Plans Diesel Tax Relief as Fuel Prices Hit Record Highs

US President Donald Trump is preparing an executive order aimed at expanding access to tax-exempt diesel as his administration seeks to ease record fuel costs ahead of the November 3 elections, according to two people...

Oil Prices Fall as Middle East Exports Recover, G7 Eases Supply Fears

Oil prices fell in volatile Monday trading as recovering Middle East crude exports, a G7 emergency reserve release and renewed fighting in Yemen eased some concerns over global supply disruptions. Brent crude futures for...

Wall Street Rises as Oil Prices Ease, Nasdaq Hits Record

Wall Street closed higher Monday as easing oil prices and gains in materials and communication services helped stocks withstand another sharp sell-off in global bonds. The SP 500 gained 0.7% to 7,777.31, putting the...

Politics

US DOT Ends Airline Privacy Review Without Enforcement

The U.S. Transportation Department has concluded a review of privacy practices at the nations 10 largest airlines without imposing fines or taking enforcement action, according to a department memo. The airline privacy...

New York Declares Measles Disaster Emergency as Cases Surge

New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a statewide disaster emergency on Monday in response to a growing measles outbreak, marking the first such declaration by a U.S. state since measles cases began rising sharply in...

ISIS Attack Near Kirkuk Kills Iraqi Policeman After US Withdrawal

At least one Iraqi federal police officer was killed and four others were wounded Monday after Islamic State militants attacked a security position southwest of Kirkuk, according to two security sources. The assault...

Trump Offers US Help to Russia After Plague Lab Worker Dies

US President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States is prepared to help Russia following the death of a laboratory worker at a plague research institute in Siberia, an incident that has triggered public health...

Cuba Says US Contacts Continue but Formal Talks Remain Stalled

Cuba and the United States continue to maintain communication channels, but no formal negotiations are currently underway as President Donald Trump intensifies pressure on Havana, according to Cubas top diplomat in...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Nvidia-Backed Reflection AI Launches Beam Open-Weight Model

Nvidia-backed startup Reflection AI has launched Beam, its first open-weight artificial intelligence model, as the U.S. company looks to challenge lower-cost Chinese AI models in coding and agentic tasks. Reflection AI...

Meta and Microsoft Cut Internal Claude AI Use

Meta Platforms and Microsoft are reducing their internal reliance on Anthropics Claude AI models as both technology giants encourage employees to adopt proprietary artificial intelligence tools, according to a report from...

Huawei, Qualcomm Sign Multi-Year AI and 5G Patent Deal

Chinas Huawei Technologies has reached a broad multi-year patent licensing agreement with Qualcomm covering key technologies including artificial intelligence, 5G, computing and networking, strengthening the companies...

Zcash NU7 Testnet Cuts Block Time to 25 Seconds

Zcash has activated its NU7 network upgrade on the public testnet, reducing the targeted time between transaction blocks from 75 seconds to 25 seconds as developers prepare for a potential November mainnet launch. NU7 went...

Firmus Grid IPO Draws Strong Demand, Nvidia and Blackstone Could Raise Stakes

Australian data centre operator Firmus Grid plans to reserve roughly half of the shares in its initial public offering for existing investors, potentially giving Nvidia and Blackstone an opportunity to increase their...