Dr Hiroaki Richard Watanabe

Core Researcher

D.Phil. (Oxford), MA (Yale), BA (Tokyo).

Research interests

Dr. Watanabe's general research interests include Japanese/comparative political economy and the international relations of East Asia. Building upon his doctoral research about the Japanese politics of labour market deregulation in comparison to the Italian case, his current research examines the issues of poverty and economic inequality in Japan since the 1990s. His research analyses public policies related to labour market and social security that contributed to the increase in poverty and inequality in Japan from a comparative perspective. Through this research, he aims to contribute to the literature of convergence/diversity in economic and social policies among capitalist economies under globalisation (including the Varieties of Capitalism). He is also interested in examining the political economy of China and Japan in the integration of East Asian economy against a background of globalisation.

Selected publications

Journal article

'Politics of Labour Market Deregulation in Italy and Japan since the 1990s', Bulletin of Comparative Labour Relations, Vol. 65, 2008, pp.255-274.