OTANI Takeo

He received his Master of Laws degree from Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of Law in March 2022 and has been a Research Fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) since April 2024. His research focuses on international relations, particularly Japan–South Korea relations, interstate conflict and cooperation, and issues concerning states’ international status and recognition by other states. His recent interests also include the relationship between historical and territorial issues and regional order, as well as the role of international institutions as arenas for states’ status-seeking.

Education

Ph. D. Candidate, Graduate School of Law, Hitotsubashi University
Master of Laws (March 2022, Hitotsubashi University)
Bachelor of Laws (March 2016, Hitotsubashi University)

Professional Experience

April 2016–July 2019: Reporter, The Yomiuri Shimbun, Tokyo Headquarters
September–October 2021: Teaching Assistant, International Security, Faculty of Law, Hitotsubashi University
September–October 2022: Teaching Assistant, International Security, Faculty of Law, Hitotsubashi University
November 2022–February 2023: Research Assistant, Mori Arinori Institute for Higher Education and Global Mobility, Hitotsubashi University (Urban Conflict and Peacebuilding)
April–May 2023: Teaching Assistant, Contemporary International Society and Politics, Faculty of Law, Hitotsubashi University
September–December 2023: Teaching Assistant, Japan’s Foreign Policy Making I, School of International and Public Policy, Hitotsubashi University
April 2024–Present: Research Fellow, Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA)
April 2025–March 2026: Visiting Research Fellow, International Research Center for Coast Guard Studies, Japan Coast Guard Academy
July 2026–Present: Fellow, International Security Research Scholarship Program (23rd Cohort), Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS)

Selected Research Papers

Publications
・Takeo Otani “Transition to Antagonism between Japan and South Korea: Focusing on the Misrecognition of Rising Status,” The Journal of Next-Generation Humanities and Social Sciences, (19) 19-35, Mar 2023 (Peer-reviewed)
・Takeo Otani “Improvement in Status Perceptions and Policy Change of Emerging States: A Case of South Korean Diplomacy in Japan-South Korea Relations during the early 2010s,” Christianity and Culture, (18) 247-280, Dec 2022 (Peer-reviewed)

Presentations
・Takeo Otani "Misrecognizing Major Power Status: A Case of Japan-South Korea Relations in the 2010s," 2024 Virtual Conference of the International Studies Association (Panel TJ03: History and International Relations), Jul 31, 2024
・Takeo Otani “Inconsistency between Multilateral and Bilateral Dimensions in Status Recognition,” The 2023 Annual Convention of the Japan Association of International Relations (JAIR), Nov 12, 2023
・Takeo Otani “The Intersubjective Condition of Japan-South Korea Conflict: Focusing on the “Status Inconsistency” in the early 2010s,” Japan Korea Next Generation Academic Forum 19th International Academic Conference, Aug 20, 2022
・Takeo Otani “Status Equalization and International Conflict: Rethinking the Mechanism of Deteriorating Relationship between Japan and South Korea over History Issue,” The 2021 Annual Convention of the Japan Association of International Relations (JAIR), Oct 31, 2021
・Takeo Otani “Unraveling the “Asian Paradox”: An Answer to the Theoretical Challenge in Explaining Conflict and Cooperation in Japan-South Korea Relations,” Korea, China, and Japan next-generation seminar: Korea, China and Japan graduate student panel, Korea-China-Japan International Conference, Korean Association of International Studies (KAIS), Jul 2, 2021

Current Research Projects

Center for Territory and History

Research Grants

・Japan Securities Scholarship Foundation (2022-23)
・Domestic Travel Grant for the 2023 Annual Convention of the Japan Association of International Relations (JAIR)

Professional Memberships

The Japan Association of International Relations (JAIR)
International Studies Association (ISA)

Journal Articles and Policy Commentary

• “‘1965 Regime’ Destabilization Dynamics: A Status Recognition Perspective.” Kokusai Seiji (International Relations), No. 219, pp. 37–52, March 2026. (Peer-reviewed; published in Japanese)
• “Lee Jae-myung’s Pragmatic Approach Remains Friendly to Japan.” East Asia Forum, October 9, 2025. (Invited contribution)
• “Japan–South Korea Relations at a Turning Point: An Examination Through the Integration of the Concepts of Status and Recognition.” Journal of Next-Generation Humanities and Social Sciences, No. 19, pp. 19–35, March 2023. (Peer-reviewed)
• “Status Enhancement and Policy Change in Emerging Countries: The Formation of a ‘Developed Country’ Identity in South Korea under the Lee Myung-bak Administration.” Christianity and Culture (formerly Korean Christian Culture Studies), No. 18, pp. 247–280, December 2022. (In Korean; peer-reviewed)

Conference Presentations

• Takeo Otani, “Misrecognizing Major Power Status: A Case of Japan–South Korea Relations in the 2010s.” 2024 Virtual Conference of the International Studies Association, Panel TJ03: History and International Relations, July 31, 2024.
• Otani, Takeo, “Implications of a Shift in Perspective from the Multilateral to the Bilateral Level in the Formation of Actors’ Status Perceptions.” 2023 Annual Convention of the Japan Association of International Relations, International Political Economy Section II, November 12, 2023.
• Otani, Takeo, “The Intersubjective Conditions of Japan–South Korea Conflict: Focusing on ‘Status Inconsistency’ in the Early 2010s.” 19th International Conference of the Korea-Japan Next Generation Academic Forum, International Relations Section, August 20, 2022.
• Otani, Takeo, “The Tragedy of Equalization: The Deterioration of Japan–South Korea Historical Frictions and the Concept of Status.” 2021 Annual Convention of the Japan Association of International Relations, Graduate Student and Early Career Researchers Section II, October 31, 2021.

Research Funding and Scholarships

International Security Research Scholarship Program, Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS), July 2026–July 2028.
Nippon Foundation Maritime Security Research Fund Project, FY2025.
Japan Securities Scholarship Foundation Scholarship, FY2022–FY2023.
Japan Association of International Relations Domestic Travel Grant, 2023 Annual Convention.

Academic Associations

Japan Association of International Relations (JAIR)
International Studies Association (ISA)