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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

Global Stocks Mixed as Oil Falls Ahead of US Earnings

Global stock markets traded unevenly on Monday as investors prepared for major corporate earnings and key US inflation data, while oil prices declined amid uncertainty surrounding a proposed Russia-Ukraine energy...

US Dollar Near 18-Month High Ahead of Inflation Data

The US dollar remained close to an 18-month high on Monday as escalating Middle East tensions and expectations surrounding upcoming US inflation data kept investors cautious about the Federal Reserves next interest rate...

IMF, World Bank Meetings Face Global Economic Risks Amid Iran War

Global finance leaders are gathering in Bangkok this week for the annual International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank meetings as the prolonged Iran war, surging energy prices, rising interest rates and mounting debt...

US Stock Futures Rise as Oil Prices Fall Ahead of Q3 Earnings

U.S. stock index futures climbed on Sunday evening as falling oil prices boosted market sentiment following President Donald Trumps announcement of an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. However, Wall Street gains...

Gold Prices Rise Above $4,200 as Russia-Ukraine Energy Truce Eases Oil Concerns

Gold prices climbed on Monday as investors weighed U.S. President Donald Trumps announcement of an immediate energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine against escalating Middle East tensions and persistent inflation...

Politics

Mahmoud Abbas Postpones Palestinian Elections to September 2027

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has postponed legislative elections scheduled for November 2026 to September 11, 2027, citing Israeli restrictions and deteriorating security conditions in the Palestinian territories. A...

Panama Declares Emergency After 7.7 Earthquake Triggers 200 Aftershocks

Panama has declared a national state of emergency after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck on Friday, causing widespread damage to homes, roads, and bridges across the countrys central provinces. Authorities have...

North Korea Fires Ballistic Missiles as Tensions With South Korea Escalate

North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea off its eastern coast on Monday, October 12, as military tensions with South Korea continued to intensify following a series of weapons tests and border...

Pakistan Declares Emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Suspends Imran Khan’s PTI Government

Pakistan has declared a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, suspending the provincial government controlled by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party amid escalating political...

Djibouti Migrant Boat Capsizes, Killing 139 and Leaving 84 Missing

At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, have died after a boat carrying 305 people capsized off Djibouti while traveling to Yemen, according to the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM)....

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

Apple Supplier Luxshare Faces US Patent Probe, Sees Limited Impact

Chinese electronics manufacturer Luxshare Precision Industry, a major supplier to Apple, expects minimal disruption to its business from a US patent infringement investigation involving data centre power supply technology....

TSMC Profit Set to Surge 65% as AI Chip Demand Drives Record Earnings

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the worlds leading advanced chipmaker, is expected to report another record quarterly profit as surging artificial intelligence (AI) investments fuel demand for...

Moonshot AI Executives Seek Settlement Ahead of Hong Kong IPO

Executives at Chinese artificial intelligence startup Moonshot AI are reportedly negotiating a settlement with Recurrent.ai over allegations of misconduct, as the company prepares for its planned Hong Kong initial public...

Amazon in Talks to Acquire AI Startup Decart for $7 Billion

Amazon is reportedly negotiating a potential $7 billion acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Decart, signaling the technology giants growing ambitions in generative AI, real-time video processing, and advanced...

Yandex Data Center Hit by Drone Strike as Russia-Ukraine Cyber Infrastructure Attacks Escalate

Russian technology giant Yandex has suspended operations at a major data center in the Vladimir region following a drone strike, marking the third attack on its server infrastructure within four days as the Russia-Ukraine...