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

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Sat, Sep 19, 2026 03:49 AM 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

Mexico Pushes for US Trade Deal Before Midterms

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday that her government is working to secure a trade agreement with the United States as quickly as possible, following what she described as a productive conversation with U.S....

Bolivia Approves $1.9 Billion IMF Financing Deal

Bolivian lawmakers have approved a $1.9 billion financing agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), advancing President Rodrigo Pazs efforts to stabilize the countrys economy amid foreign currency shortages,...

Wall Street Mixed as Treasury Yields Rise After Fed Hike

Wall Street traded mixed on Friday as investors paused after the strongest session in more than a month, while rising U.S. Treasury yields and quadruple witching kept market volatility in focus. Quadruple witching marks...

Bessent Presses Japan on Fiscal Policy as Yen Struggles

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has pushed Japan to tighten fiscal policy and support higher interest rates as Washington and Tokyo work to stabilize the yen and limit risks in global bond markets. Japanese Finance...

Yen Slides After BOJ Rate Hike as Dollar Holds Near Seven-Week High

Asian currencies traded mixed on Friday, with the Japanese yen weakening despite a Bank of Japan interest rate hike, while a hawkish Federal Reserve outlook kept the U.S. dollar supported near a seven-week high. The U.S....

Politics

Russian Attack on Balakliia Kills Two, Injures Two

Russian forces struck the northeastern Ukrainian city of Balakliia on Friday, killing two people and injuring two others as the war continues to affect communities across the Kharkiv region. Vitali Karabanov, head of the...

NATO Commander Joins US Review of Troop Deployments in Europe

NATOs top military commander, U.S. Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, participated in a virtual briefing Friday as the Pentagon weighs possible changes to the deployment of U.S. troops across Europe. The briefing was...

Appeals Court Rejects Trump Third-Country Deportation Policy

A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday rejected a Trump administration policy that allowed immigration authorities to rapidly deport migrants to countries other than their nations of origin without giving them an adequate...

Trump Bans CNN, MS NOW and Politico From White House

President Donald Trump said Friday that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be banned from the White House, escalating his administrations long-running dispute with major news organizations over their coverage. Trump announced...

Venezuela Nears Deal to Move $4 Billion in Gold to New York Fed

Venezuelas government and opposition are nearing an agreement to transfer roughly $4 billion worth of the countrys gold reserves from the Bank of England to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, potentially ending a...

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

Westinghouse Targets $50 Billion Valuation in U.S. IPO

Westinghouse Electric Co. is seeking a valuation of more than $50 billion for its planned U.S. initial public offering, as the nuclear technology company moves closer to a public market debut amid growing interest in...

NASA, Boeing Discuss Expanding Starliner Missions

NASA is holding discussions with Boeing about expanding the use of its Starliner spacecraft for future missions, potentially giving the troubled vehicle a larger role in U.S. human spaceflight plans. The space agency and...

Apple Pay Set for India Launch With Axis Bank

Apple is preparing to launch Apple Pay in India next month, initially partnering with Axis Bank to support the lenders credit cards, according to three people familiar with the plans. The rollout would bring Apples digital...

Hyundai CEO Warns Chinese Automakers Could Disrupt US Market

Hyundai Motor CEO Jose Munoz warned that Chinese automakers could eventually reshape the US auto market as they have in Europe unless Washington maintains tariffs and other market-access protections. Speaking in San Jose,...

US Federal Register Drops Alibaba Qwen AI Search Tool

A U.S. government website used an artificial intelligence model developed by Chinas Alibaba to help users search federal regulatory information, despite recent U.S. concerns about Chinese AI companies and their use of...