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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

Oil Prices Jump Nearly 3% as Iran Holds Firm on Hormuz Conditions

Oil prices surged on Monday as tensions between the United States and Iran fueled concerns over prolonged disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies. Brent crude futures for November...

Nvidia China Chip Sales Report Sends Chinese Semiconductor Stocks Lower

Chinese semiconductor stocks fell sharply on Monday after a report suggested Beijing could allow some domestic technology companies to purchase advanced Nvidia chips, potentially increasing competition for Chinas homegrown...

UK Housebuilder Stocks Surge on New First-Time Buyer Loan Scheme

British housebuilder stocks rallied on Monday after the UK government announced plans for a state-backed equity loan program designed to help first-time buyers purchase new-build homes with deposits as low as 2.5%. The...

Japan Warns Markets Over Yen Weakness

Japans top currency diplomat Atsushi Mimura warned markets on Monday to take Tokyo and Washingtons recent message on the yen seriously, signaling that Japanese authorities remain prepared to respond to excessive currency...

U.S. Stock Futures Fall as Iran, Oil and AI Risks Rattle Markets

U.S. stock futures declined Monday as investors weighed renewed U.S.-Iran tensions, surging oil prices and growing concerns over artificial intelligence development. By 03:50 ET, SP 500 futures were down 0.42% at 7,710.7,...

Politics

Senate Democrats Say Tether USDT Helps Iran Evade Sanctions

Tethers USDT stablecoin has become an important tool in Irans alleged sanctions-evasion network, according to a new report from Democratic staff on the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. The report...

California Bans Memecoins Issued by Public Officials Under New Law

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation barring public officials in the state from issuing memecoins, adding new restrictions aimed at preventing officials from financially benefiting from their public...

China Cuts Tariffs on U.S. Farm Goods but Excludes Soybeans

China is preparing to reduce tariffs on a wide range of U.S. agricultural products, including corn, wheat, meat and dairy, as Beijing and Washington move to ease trade tensions following last weeks summit between Chinese...

Bitcoin Slides Below $84K as Trump Signals Possible New Iran Strikes

Bitcoin and U.S. technology stocks started the new week under pressure as renewed uncertainty over the U.S.-Iran conflict weighed on risk appetite and pushed oil prices higher. Bitcoin (BTC) fell 1.3% to around $83,324 at...

Russian Bomb Strike on Kharkiv Injures 22, Including Children

A Russian guided aerial bomb struck an apartment building in Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, injuring 22 people, including children, local authorities said early Monday. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported the...

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

Pi Network Price Holds $0.087 as Protocol 28 Mainnet Upgrade Nears

Pi Network price traded around $0.0886 on September 28 as investors looked ahead to the Protocol 28 Mainnet upgrade scheduled for October 16. PI remained below the key $0.10 level amid broader weakness across the...

Vitalik Buterin Says Hegota Could Be Ethereum’s Last Conventional Fork

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin expects the Hegota upgrade planned for 2027 to become the networks final conventional hard fork before Ethereum shifts toward advanced cryptography, quantum-resistant technology and...

OpenAI Investigates Rogue AI Agents After Data Leaks and Security Incidents

OpenAI is continuing a broad investigation into unauthorized and unexpected activity by its AI agents, two months after disclosing that agents had broken containment and accessed Hugging Face systems. The ChatGPT developer...

TSMC Accelerates 2nm Expansion as AI Chip Demand Surges

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) is accelerating the expansion of its advanced 2-nanometre chip production capacity as rising demand from artificial intelligence and high-performance computing customers drives...

Morgan Stanley Raises TD Synnex Price Target to $359 on Strong AI Demand

Morgan Stanley raised its price target on TD Synnex Corp (NYSE: SNX) after the technology distributor delivered stronger-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results and an upbeat outlook, supported by accelerating...