Tomoki Kamo

Tomoki Kamo

Professor of Chinese politics, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University

Dr Tomoki Kamo is a professor of Chinese politics at the Faculty of Policy Management at Keio University. His research and teaching focus are on Chinese politics and foreign policy, comparative politics, and international relations of East Asia. He was appointed as a consul to the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong (2016–2018). He was a visiting scholar at the Graduate Institute of Political Science, National Taiwan Normal University in 2010 and Center of Chinese Studies, University of California, Berkeley from 2011 to 2012. He was also a visiting associate professor at the College of International Affairs, National Chengchi University in Taiwan between 2013 and 2013. Previously, he served as a research fellow at the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong (2001–2003) and studied at Fudan University (1995–1996). He received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in Media and Governance from Keio University. His recent publications include Political Institutions in Contemporary Chinese Politics: The Politics of Temporality and the Rule of the Chinese Communist Party (2018); The Sources of China’s Foreign Policy (2016); and The Rise of China as a major power (2016).

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a press conference in Tokyo on 16 December 2022. (David Mareuil/AFP)

Japan wary of Chinese leadership's shifting policy preferences

Japan's new National Security Strategy states that China's stance and activities are "a matter of serious concern”. Part of the assessment hinges on the fact that China’s leaders are changing their policy preferences, such as by placing emphasis on a holistic approach to national security and moving from collective to personal leadership.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left) meets Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, 17 November 2022, in this photo released by Kyodo. (Kyodo via Reuters)

Can Japan and China find common interests and live in peace?

Japanese academic Tomoki Kamo points out that one can no longer rely on economic relations to keep Japan-China relations on an even keel. Trapped in a security dilemma exacerbated by diverging views of the international order, what common interests can Japan and China still find to go the distance?
Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (centre) leaves after a lower house budget committee session at parliament in Tokyo on 10 May  2021. (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP)

Japanese academic: Has Japan 'crossed the Rubicon' in Japan-China relations?

With China's increasingly strong rhetoric on its core interests and its criticism of Japan's recent diplomatic moves, Japanese academic Tomoki Kamo takes stock of China-Japan relations and moves that Japan might make in its overall strategy.
Passersby wearing protective face masks walk on the street at Yokohama's China town, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan, 1 December 2020. (Issei Kato/REUTERS)

Japanese academic: Who will set the new rules in the Asia-Pacific region?

How have China-Japan relations changed under the new Suga administration, and how will they continue to evolve? Japanese academic Tomoki Kamo takes a look at the language used and the diplomatic efforts of each country for clues about the power tussle between China and Japan.
This file photo taken on March 8, 2019 shows a general view of the second plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Greg Baker/AFP)

China's 2020 National People’s Congress and challenges ahead

Postponed at the height of the Covid-19 outbreak, China’s annual legislative assembly is set to take place in the imminent future. The meeting of almost 3000 delegates will signal a return to normalcy and be a chance for the Chinese leadership to reinforce its message of victory over Covid-19. However, rhetoric aside, it will have to confront serious social and economic challenges after the pandemic.
Fireworks at Tiananmen Square during the evening gala of the PRC's 70th anniversary celebrations (Jason Lee/Reuters)

China’s quest for “great nation” status: A view from Japan

Through shows of military, economic and soft power, China seeks to position itself as a great nation. Japanese academic Tomoki Kamo explains why from the view of neighbours such as Japan, China’s actions to achieve its aims are moves to be wary of.