School of Social and Political Science

Background

Kazuto Matsuda is a PhD student in Politics 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 international relations in the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf region, and relations with Japan. His PhD research examines the intricacy of interdependence between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states and Japan 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.

PhD Supervisors (Co-Supervision)

Dr Lucy Abbott

Dr Nicola Nymalm

Academic Awards & Scholarships

• Japanese Government Scholarship (JASSO, 2025/26)
• 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