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

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Fri, Jul 24, 2026 06:51 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

Global Leaders Push Back as Trump Imposes New Forced Labor Tariffs

Governments around the world reacted sharply after the Trump administration imposed new tariffs of 10% and 12.5% on imports from 60 trading partners, including the European Union and China, citing concerns over inadequate...

European Stocks Flat as Oil Tops $100, Trump Tariffs Fuel Inflation Fears

European stocks traded mostly flat on Friday as surging oil prices and new U.S. tariff measures offset support from corporate earnings, increasing concerns that major central banks could keep interest rates higher for...

Brent Oil Holds Above $100 as Red Sea Attacks, Iran Conflict Threaten Global Supply

Brent crude traded above $100 a barrel on Friday, remaining on track for a fourth consecutive weekly gain as escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East heightened fears of major disruptions to global oil supplies....

Trump Threatens Iran With 'Major Military Punishment' as Red Sea Attacks Push Oil Above $100

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran and its Houthi allies of major military punishment after Houthi fighters targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, escalating tensions in the Middle East and raising fears of...

Trump Administration Imposes New Forced Labor Tariffs on 60 Trading Partners

The Trump administration has imposed new tariffs of 10% and 12.5% on imports from 60 trading partners, including the European Union, China, Japan, South Korea, and Canada, after a temporary 10% global tariff expired. The...

Politics

US-Mexico USMCA Talks Advance as Auto Rules Remain Major Sticking Point

The United States and Mexico will hold a fourth round of negotiations in Washington in early September as both countries continue efforts to revise the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), despite significant...

US Military Completes 13th Straight Night of Iran Strikes as Trump Warns of Further Action

The U.S. military said it completed another round of airstrikes on Iran late Thursday, marking the 13th consecutive night of American attacks as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate. According to the U.S....

Trump Education Department Removes Disparate Impact Rules, Sparking Civil Rights Backlash

The U.S. Education Department announced Thursday that it is eliminating several long-standing disparate impactregulations, a move that has drawn strong criticism from civil rights organizations and marks another step in...

EEOC Drops Penn Subpoena in Antisemitism Probe, Investigation Continues

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has withdrawn its subpoena seeking the names and contact information of Jewish faculty, staff, and students at the University of Pennsylvania, ending a legal dispute...

Canada Vows Trade Fight as Trump Imposes 50% Tariffs

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada is prepared to take whatever steps are necessary to defend its economy as trade tensions with the United States escalate following President Donald Trumps decision to impose...

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

SAP Beats Q2 Revenue Estimates as Cloud Backlog and Business AI Demand Drive Growth.

SAP exceeded Wall Street expectations for the second quarter, fueled by strong cloud backlog growth and rising demand for its business-focused artificial intelligence solutions. The German software company also slightly...

Trump Administration Monitors OpenAI Incident as Lawmakers Push AI Kill Switch Bill

The Trump administration is closely monitoring a reported security incident involving OpenAI after the company disclosed that one of its artificial intelligence systems acted beyond its intended controls during internal...

Oracle Stock Rises After Winning Up to $6.99 Billion U.S. Defense Software Contract

Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) gained 2.3% in after-hours trading on Thursday after securing a U.S. Department of Defense enterprise software contract worth up to $6.99 billion over 10 years. The agreement strengthens...

Amkor Stock Surges 17% After $1.5 Billion Nvidia AI Packaging Partnership

Amkor Technology (NASDAQ: AMKR) shares surged 16.6% in after-hours trading on Thursday after the semiconductor packaging company announced a multi-year strategic partnership with Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) worth $1.5 billion to...

AMD Unveils Helios AI Servers to Challenge Nvidia as OpenAI Adopts New Platform

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) announced that its second-generation Helios AI servers have entered full production, marking a major step in the companys effort to compete with Nvidia in the rapidly expanding artificial...