Masahiro Matsumura
Masahiro Matsumura, Ph.D., is Professor of International Politics and National Security at St. Andrew’s University in Osaka and a 2024 ROC-MOFA Taiwan Fellow-in-Residence at the Taiwan Center for Security Studies, National Chengchi University’s Institute of International Relations
By Masahiro Matsumura The China–South Korea currency swap agreement concluded on November 1 last year, with a ceiling of 70 trillion won (approximately USD 48.3 billion), has often been portrayed as a purely technical measure to stabilize financial markets. That interpretation, however, significantly…
By Masahiro Matsumura Reports that Chinese naval aircraft repeatedly illuminated Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) fighters with fire-control radar during exercises in the Pacific, on December 6, have understandably triggered alarm in Japan and elsewhere. In military terms, fire-control radar illumination is not…
By Masahiro Matsumura China’s recent escalation against Japan following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on November 7 reveals less about Tokyo’s intentions than about Beijing’s strategic anxieties in a shifting international order. During deliberations in a House committee, Takaichi responded to persistent questioning…
By Masahiro Matsumura In October, the Diet elected Sanae Takaichi as Japan’s first female prime minister. Her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) formed a minority government by ending its long-standing coalition with the pacifist, Buddhist Party, Komeito, and instead partnering with the Osaka-based conservative-populist…
By Masahiro Matsumura The idea of reviving the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, which bound London and Tokyo from 1902 until 1922, is making the rounds in policy circles. The notion has been spurred by Britain’s post-Brexit “Global Britain” ambitions and by Japan’s search for reliable…
By Masahiro Matsumura On August 15, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Anchorage, Alaska, to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. The summit, held on American soil despite years of entry bans against Russian officials, marked…
By Masahiro Matsumura Since returning to the White House in 2025, President Donald Trump has reignited one of the most controversial tools of his political and economic arsenal: tariffs. In typical fashion, he has wielded them not with nuance but with the blunt…
By Masahiro Matsumura The world is once again holding its breath. On June 13, Israel launched a sweeping surprise attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities and military infrastructure, decapitating several of Tehran’s top military leaders and nuclear experts. The strikes, unprecedented in their scope,…