School of Social and Political Science

Background

Kazuto Matsuda is a PhD student in the PhD in Politics programme at the University of Edinburgh. He is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs in Doha, Qatar. He specialises in the international relations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, with a strong focus on Japan-GCC state relations. His PhD research examines the intricacy of interdependence between Japan and the GCC states in the contemporary context.

He holds a Master of Science in International Relations from the University of Edinburgh and a Master of Arts in Gulf Studies from Qatar University, where he was awarded the prestigious Thesis Award and the Graduate Research Award. He previously served as a Researcher and Advisor at the Embassy of Japan in Qatar and a Research and Analysis Specialist at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.  

Recent publications include: 

• Matsuda, K., & Kozhanov, N. (2023). Not just hydrocarbons: Japan’s multifaceted foreign policy approaches towards the GCC states. International Politics, 60(6), 1248–1269 (link)
• Matsuda, K. (2023). Intra-East Asian competition in the Gulf and the Indo-Pacific: The case of Japan and China. In A. Baabood & A. AbdelGhafar (Eds.), Asia in the GCC: A new strategic partner? (pp. 48–55). Waseda University & Middle East Council on Global Affairs. (link)

PhD Supervisors (Co-Supervision)

Dr Lucy Abbott

Dr Nicola Nymalm

Academic Awards

• Thesis Award (Qatar University, 2024)
• Graduate Research Award (Qatar University, 2024)

Publications

Journal Articles

• Matsuda, K., & Kozhanov, N. (2023). Not just hydrocarbons: Japan’s multifaceted foreign policy approaches towards the GCC states. International Politics, 60(6), 1248–1269. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41311-023-00498-w

Book Chapters

• Matsuda, K. (2023). Intra-East Asian competition in the Gulf and the Indo-Pacific: The case of Japan and China. In A. Baabood & A. AbdelGhafar (Eds.), Asia in the GCC: A new strategic partner? (pp. 48–55). Waseda University & Middle East Council on Global Affairs. https://mecouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/MECGA_Dossier-1_Final_WEB.pdf#page=52

Book Reviews

• Matsuda, K. (2024). Review of Energy kingdoms: Oil and political survival in the Persian Gulf, by J. Krane. Journal of Gulf Studies, 1(1), 102–104. https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/jgs_00007_5
• Matsuda, K. (2023). Review of The making of the modern Gulf states: Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, by R. S. Zahlan. Tajseer Journal, 5(1), 197–201. https://journals.qu.edu.qa/index.php/tajseer/article/view/3012

Other Research Papers

• Matsuda, K. (2025). Reinvigorating Japan-GCC state relations: The case for enhancing top-level diplomacy. Middle East Council on Global Affairs. https://mecouncil.org/publication/reinvigorating-japan-gcc-state-ties-the-case-for-enhancing-top-level-diplomacy/
• Matsuda, K., & Al-Khazraji, A. (2023). Iraq: 2021 parliamentary elections and the crisis of government formation. Observatory on Politics and Elections in the Arab and Muslim World. http://opemam.org/sites/default/files/Iraq%20Electoral%20Report%202023.pdf
• Matsuda, K., & Bonnie-James, T. (2022). Kuwait: 2022 parliamentary elections: Key characteristics and future prospects. Gulf Insight No. 64, Qatar University Gulf Studies Center & Observatory on Politics and Elections in the Arab and Muslim World.  https://www.qu.edu.qa/static_file/qu/research/Gulf%20Studies/documents/Gulf%20Insights%2064.pdf

• Matsuda, K. (2022). Japan-Gulf relations: Discussing the major analytical tendencies (Qatar University Gulf Studies Center Working Paper No. 4). http://www.qu.edu.qa/static_file/qu/research/Gulf%20Studies/documents/Working%20paper%204%20-%20Kazuto%20Matsuda.pdf

   

Academic Presentations (Selected)

• Matsuda, K. (2025). Qatar’s Foreign Policy Approaches Towards Japan: A Hedging Strategy?. Gulf Research Meeting 2025, Cambridge, the United Kingdom.
• Matsuda, K. (2025). The Place of Cyber Diplomacy in Japan’s Foreign Policy Making and Its Implications for Japan-GCC State Relations. King’s College London & Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.
• Matsuda, K. (2025). The Gulf States and Trump’s Second Presidency: Opportunities and Challenges for Japan. The 41st Annual Meeting of the Japan Association for Middle East Studies, Sapporo, Japan.
• Matsuda, K. (2023). Japan, China and the GCC States: Discussing the tripartite political dynamics in the Gulf. The 10th Annual Gulf Studies Forum, Arab Center for Research & Policy Studies, Doha, Qatar.
• Matsuda, K., & Al-Khazraji, A. (2023). Iraq 2021 parliamentary elections: The new electoral law as critical juncture. Understanding electoral politics and state-society relations in the Gulf, Middle East and North Africa [Online], Doha, Qatar. 
• Matsuda, K., & Al-Khazraji, A. (2023). Electoral politics in Iraq: Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the 2021 parliamentary elections. Understanding electoral politics and state-society relations in the Gulf, Middle East and North Africa [Online], Doha, Qatar.
• Matsuda, K. (2023). Discussing Japan’s energy import diversification: Can the Russia-Ukraine war be a catalyst for change?. The British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies Annual Conference 2023 [Online], Glasgow, United Kingdom.
• Matsuda, K. (2023). Intra-East Asian competition in the Gulf: The case of Japan and China. Asia in the GCC: A New Strategic Partner?, Middle East Council on Global Affairs & Waseda University [Online], Tokyo, Japan.
• Matsuda, K. (2023). Public diplomacy between the Arab Gulf states and Asia: Case study of the Ship for World Youth Program. Katara Center for Public Diplomacy & Qatar University Gulf Studies Center, Doha, Qatar.
• Matsuda, K. (2022). Japan-GCC states relations: Discussing the Japanese government’s perspective through the lens of energy diplomacy. The 9th Annual Gulf Studies Forum, Arab Center for Research & Policy Studies, Doha, Qatar.
• Matsuda, K. (2022). Locating Japan–GCC relations within Japan’s inter-regional foreign policy frameworks. Asia in the GCC: A New Strategic Partner?, Middle East Council on Global Affairs & Waseda University, Doha, Qatar.
• Matsuda, K. (2022). Japan’s new foreign policy challenges? Identifying the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ recent policy moves vis-à-vis the GCC states, Islamic Trust Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies [Online], Tokyo, Japan.
• Matsuda, K. (2020). The impact of hydrocarbons on interstate relations and domestic politics of the Gulf since 1973. The 36th Annual Meeting of the Japan Association for Middle East Studies [Online], Japan.

Poster Presentations

• Matsuda, K. (2025). Political Economy of the State-Society Relations in Kuwait since the 19th Century: A Qualitative Case Study. The 4th Islamic Trust Studies International Symposium, Tokyo, Japan.
• Matsuda, K. (2023). Theory and practice: Discussing the nexus between the concept of comprehensive security and Japan-Gulf relations. Islamic Trust Studies Plenary Meeting, Tokyo, Japan.
• Matsuda, K. (2022). Japan-Gulf relations: The major analytical trends. Qatar University Annual Research Forum and Exhibition 2022, Doha, Qatar.

Conference Panel Chairing

• Session Chair (2023). Session 7: Electoral Politics in the Gulf 1, Conference: Understanding Electoral Politics and State-Society Relations in the Gulf, Middle East and North Africa [Online], Doha, Qatar.
• Session Chair (2022). Session 4: Contemporary Issues in Latin America-Gulf Relations, Conference: Latin America-Gulf Relations: Beyond Oil and Football [Online], Qatar University Gulf Studies Center, Doha, Qatar.

Research Groups

• International Relations Research Group
• Foreign Policy Research Group
• Middle East Research Group