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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

Hungary Industrial Output Beats Forecasts With 4.7% July Growth

Hungarys industrial output increased 4.7% year-on-year in July, beating market expectations and signaling continued growth in the countrys manufacturing sector, preliminary data showed on Monday. According to Hungarys...

Iran Plans New Gulf Restricted Zone as Hormuz Tensions Push Oil Higher

Iran plans to establish a new restricted zone in the Gulf and introduce shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions after renewed U.S.-Iran strikes disrupted maritime traffic and pushed oil prices...

UK House Prices Fall for First Time Since 2023

UK house prices recorded their first annual decline in nearly three years in August as higher borrowing costs and economic uncertainty weighed on buyer demand, according to new data from Lloyds. House prices fell 0.4%...

Asian Currencies Mixed as Yen Rallies on BOJ Bets

Asian currencies traded mixed on Monday as the U.S. dollar hovered near recent lows, while the Japanese yen strengthened further on expectations of a Bank of Japan rate hike and potential currency intervention. The U.S....

US Stock Futures Mixed as Strong Jobs Data Boosts Fed Rate Hike Bets

U.S. stock futures traded mixed Sunday evening as investors digested a stronger-than-expected August jobs report that increased expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate hike in September. Trading activity was...

Politics

Kyiv Mothers Give Birth Amid Russian Drone Attacks

Women in Kyiv are giving birth under the constant threat of Russian drone attacks, highlighting how Ukraines escalating air war is reshaping everyday life and deepening the countrys demographic crisis. Alyona Bohatyrenko,...

Iran Vows Tougher Response as U.S. Sanctions Squeeze Economy

Iran pledged to intensify efforts to counter mounting U.S. sanctions and economic pressure, while a senior official warned Washington that any further attacks would trigger a faster and more severe Iranian response. Six...

EU to Boost Greenland Investment Amid Trump Pressure

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to announce a major increase in EU investment in Greenland on Monday, strengthening economic and political ties as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to...

Netanyahu Orders West Bank Settler Outposts Dismantled

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered unauthorized settler outposts in the West Bank to be dismantled amid growing U.S. pressure on Israel to curb violence against Palestinians, according to two people...

Putin Meets US Envoys in Moscow as Ukraine Peace Push Intensifies

Russian President Vladimir Putin held more than three hours of talks with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Saturday as Washington stepped up efforts to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war. Kremlin aide Yuri...

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

Huawei Launches Mate XT2 Foldable Phone in China

Huawei unveiled its latest flagship foldable smartphone, the Mate XT2, on Monday as the Chinese technology giant looks to maintain its dominance in the countrys premium smartphone market amid growing competition from Apple...

Nvidia CEO Says AGI Has Arrived With OpenAI GPT-6 Astra

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang has declared that artificial general intelligence, or AGI, has arrived, pointing to OpenAIs newly launched GPT-6 Astra as a major milestone in the accelerating development of...

SpaceX Turbine Push Unlikely to Threaten Howmet, Bernstein Says

SpaceXs plan to manufacture industrial gas turbine blades and vanes is unlikely to significantly threaten Howmet Aerospace, according to Bernstein analysts, who see recent weakness in Howmet shares as a potential buying...

Anthropic IPO Marketing Expected to Start in Mid-October

Anthropic is expected to begin marketing its initial public offering in mid-October at the earliest, as the artificial intelligence company adjusts the timeline for what could become one of the largest IPOs in history. The...

Japan, US Target AI and Chips in $550 Billion Investment Push

Japan and the United States are advancing a $550 billion investment initiative, with artificial intelligence and semiconductor projects expected to become major priorities in the next phase of the economic partnership,...