Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Fri, Aug 28, 2026 01:32 PM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

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

France Inflation Accelerates to 2.7% in August

French inflation accelerated in August as higher energy costs, particularly prices for oil products, pushed consumer price growth above the previous months level, preliminary data from Frances national statistics agency...

Sweden Retail Sales Slip 0.2% in July

Swedens retail sales edged lower in July compared with the previous month, although consumer spending remained significantly stronger than a year earlier, according to official data released on Friday. Retail sales...

Iran Weighs Conditions to Reopen Strait of Hormuz

Iran war mediators are stepping up efforts to restore normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran agreeing to prepare conditions for reopening the vital waterway following diplomatic pressure from Qatar....

Fed Chair Warsh Faces Key Jackson Hole Test

Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh will take center stage at the Jackson Hole economic symposium on Friday, with global markets looking for clearer signals on U.S. interest rates, persistent inflation and recent...

Tokyo Inflation Rises in August as BOJ Rate Hike Bets Grow

Consumer inflation in Tokyo edged higher in August, while underlying price pressures remained close to the Bank of Japans target, reinforcing expectations that the central bank could raise interest rates in the coming...

Politics

US Military Uses Laser to Shoot Down Cartel Drones at Mexico Border

The U.S. military used a high-energy laser to shoot down three drones linked to Mexican drug cartels near the U.S.-Mexico border this week, highlighting growing security concerns over unmanned aircraft used by criminal...

Mojtaba Khamenei’s Absence Fuels Iran Leadership Doubts

Six months after U.S. and Israeli airstrikes plunged Iran into war and left Mojtaba Khamenei badly wounded, the countrys supreme leader remains out of public view, raising questions about his health, authority and Irans...

South Korea, Japan and US Plan Joint Military Drills

South Korea, Japan and the United States will hold joint military drills from September 9 to 11, strengthening trilateral defense cooperation amid continued concerns over North Koreas nuclear weapons and missile programs....

ICE Awards $16.7M Contract for Electric Shock Gloves

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has awarded a $16.7 million contract to purchase 6,000 pairs of electric shock gloves for field officers, moving ahead with the controversial equipment despite concerns raised...

Australia Pledges $3.6M for Nepal-China Flood Relief

Australia will provide $3.6 million in humanitarian aid to communities devastated by severe flooding along the Nepal-China border, while deploying additional consular and emergency response personnel as the number of...

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

PayPal Shares Sink as $50 Billion Takeover Bid Collapses

PayPal Holdings (NASDAQ: PYPL) shares plunged in extended trading after a consortium led by private equity firm Advent International and payments giant Stripe reportedly ended its pursuit of the digital payments company....

Nvidia Pauses AI Cloud Financing Deals Amid Antitrust Concerns

Nvidia has temporarily halted some deals tied to a recently introduced financing program for artificial intelligence cloud companies, amid internal concerns that the arrangement could attract greater antitrust scrutiny,...

Google Changes EU Spam Policy Amid Antitrust Scrutiny

Google has revised its spam policy in Europe after concerns from European Union regulators raised the possibility of a significant antitrust fine for Alphabet, the search giants parent company. The company said Friday that...

U.S. Probes Apex Logistics Over Nvidia AI Chip Shipments to China

The U.S. government is investigating Singapore-based Apex Logistics over allegations that the freight company helped transport Nvidia AI chips and computer systems to China despite U.S. export restrictions, Bloomberg...

U.S. Disrupts China-Linked Hacking Campaign Targeting Government Agencies

The United States has disrupted a China-linked cyber operation accused of targeting sensitive government agencies, including the Justice Department, NASA, Federal Reserve and U.S. Senate, authorities said Wednesday. The...