Experts
Research Fellow
Takuma Matsu
Affiliation
Japan-U.S. and Security Studies Unit
Strategy and Deterrence Program
Expertise/Areas of interest
International Relations/Multilateral Security Cooperation/Indo-Pacific Security/Wargaming
Languages
Japanese/English
Academic/Professional Background
Takuma Matsu was born in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. He graduated from the Department of English, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Dokkyo University, and received an M.A. in International Relations from the Graduate School of Global Studies, Sophia University. In 2006, he joined the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and served in the Northeastern Army in the Armored Branch (reconnaissance) until his retirement from active service in 2011. Since April 2022, he has been a Research Fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.
Projects
US-China Relations and Japan's Security/Symposium on Maritime Rule of Law and Enforcement/Grand Strategy for the Maritime Nation
Papers
| Master Thesis | Date of Master Thesis |
|---|---|
| Actual State of Multilateral Security Cooperation in Confidence Building Measures and its Examination: The possibility of ARF based on comparison between Europe and Asia. | February 11, 2021 |
Publications
Report
| Report | Date of Report |
|---|---|
| Measuring the Quad by What It Does, Not What It Is Not | August 22, 2026 |
| Japan-India Defense Cooperation in the Land Domain: Deepening Cooperation Through the "Dharma Guardian" Joint Exercise | June 19, 2026 |
| The Pacific Defence Pact is the wrong answer to the right question | June 11, 2026 |
| Nuclear Escalation Control in a Taiwan Strait Crisis: Opportunities for Japan-U.S.-Taiwan Cooperation A Tabletop Exercise |
March 1, 2026 |
| Grey zone games: Lessons from the 2025 AJUS simulation Testing trilateralism through crisis simulation |
March 1, 2026 |
| US-Australia-Japan strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific: Testing trilateralism through crisis simulation |
March 1, 2025 |
Lecture
- "Europe's Multilayered Institutional Architecture and Inter-Institutional Complementarity after the Russia-Ukraine War: An Empirical Analysis of PESCO"
International Security Studies Association of Japan (ISSAJ) Annual Conference 2025
6 December 2025
As of September 25, 2026