Dr Kazuhiro Tobisawa works at the intersection of diplomacy, civil society and international security, with a particular focus on Japanese foreign and security policy, nuclear disarmament, and the evolving role of non-state actors in global governance. His research draws on documentary analysis and fieldwork conducted in Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Switzerland and Austria, including interviews with policymakers, diplomats and civil-society leaders.
Dr Tobisawa previously served as an Honorary Research Fellow at the Max Beloff Institute. His first book, The Influence of Civil Society on Japanese Nuclear Disarmament Policy, was published by the University of Buckingham Press in 2018. Its substantially revised and expanded Second Edition, Legacy and Prospects: Civil Society in Japanese Nuclear Disarmament Policy – Ethical Realism and Diplomacy, was published by the University of Buckingham Press on 9 July 2026. The new edition extends his earlier analysis of civil society and nuclear disarmament to changing international conditions, the interaction between state and non-state actors, and the development of ethical realism as an analytical approach to diplomacy, international security and responsible judgement in international affairs.
He has played a central role in advancing UK–Japan academic cooperation at Buckingham. His contributions include co-founding the UK–Japan IT Conference for Emerging Technologies and establishing the DIASUNS, a United Nations studies association in collaboration with the BUCSIS and the Centre for United Nations Studies at Buckingham. His earlier positions at the University include Research Fellow & External Relations Officer at the Centre for Global Studies and Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor on Japan Initiatives.
Alongside his academic work, Dr Tobisawa serves as Group Manager of Legal and Intellectual Property at Yamaha Motor Robotics Co., Ltd., where he leads global compliance, risk management and international legal strategy. He holds a BA (Hons), MA, LLM and DPhil from the University of Buckingham and is an alumnus of the inaugural MA in Global Affairs cohort.
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