Dr. TANIGUCHI, Tomohiko [family name and first name, hereafter the same]

Specially Appointed Professor, University of Tsukuba; Special Advisor, Fujitsu Future Studies Center

TANIGUCHI, Tomohiko has had a diverse career in journalism, diplomacy, and academia, with experiences spanning different roles and institutions. From April 2014 to September 16, 2020, he had the privilege of serving as a Special Advisor to Prime Minister ABE, Shinzo's Cabinet. He also held a position as a Councillor in the Cabinet Secretariat from February 2013 to March 2014. During these periods, he contributed to crafting foreign policy speeches for Prime Minister Abe.

Before venturing into the public sector, Taniguchi spent nearly two decades as a journalist at the Japanese-language business weekly magazine, Nikkei Business. Later, in 2005, he transitioned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, taking on roles as Deputy Press Secretary and Deputy Secretary-General for Public Diplomacy. During his tenure there, he drafted various foreign policy speeches for Foreign Minister ASO, Taro and Prime Minister ABE, Shinzo.

Taniguchi's international experience includes a stint in London from 1997 to 2000 as the sole correspondent for Nikkei Business magazine, focusing on European business and economies. In 1999, he became the first "East of Suez" President of the Foreign Press Association in London. He also pursued academic interests during sabbaticals from his journalism career, including periods at the then Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University as a Fulbright visiting fellow (1991-92), at the Shanghai Institute of International Studies as a visiting fellow (2002-03), and at the Brookings Institution as a CNAPS Fellow (2004-05).

From August 2008 to January 2013, Taniguchi served as an Executive Advisor to the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Tokai) under the leadership of then Chairman KASAI, Yoshiyuki. Simultaneously, he held academic positions as a special guest professor at Keio University's Graduate School of System Design and Management (SDM) and as a visiting professor at Meiji University's School of Global Japanese Studies. In April 2014, he attained a full-time professorship at Keio SDM while continuing his role as a foreign policy speechwriter for Prime Minister Abe.

Since retiring from Keio at the end of March 2023, Taniguchi has held the positions of Special Advisor to the Fujitsu Future Studies Center, Specially Appointed Professor at the University of Tsukuba and Senior Fellow at the GRIPS Alliance of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.

His academic background includes an LL.B. from the University of Tokyo and a Ph.D. in National Security from Takushoku University. He is also a prolific author, having written or co-authored more than 10 books on international affairs, including "Prime Minister Abe's Speeches."