Naoki Tamaki

Naoki Tamaki is visiting fellow with the Environment and Society programme at Chatham House.

He was director general of the New Energy and Power Finance department at the Japan Bank for International Cooperation until July 2021 where he worked on establishing Transition Finance Initiatives in ASEAN countries in cooperation with relevant ministries, companies, and banks in Asia.

In his previous positions, including more than 20 years securing Japan’s energy needs in the Middle East, he has created multi-layered relationships between energy-rich countries and Japan.

Leveraging his experience, he has also supported Japanese companies’ participation in infrastructure projects across the Middle East. His research interests include the concept of the ‘Edo Green Economy’, a circular economy established in 17th to 19th century Japan, as a solution for the global sustainability agenda.

Through his career in the Middle East, Naoki has given many lectures to Japanese businesspeople and published articles in economic magazines and newspapers about geopolitics and geoeconomics in the Middle East.

He has led multiple project finance deals for Infrastructure and petrochemical projects. Using this experience, since 2010, Naoki has taught project finance and global finance in several graduated schools and universities.

During his visiting fellowship with the Environment and Society programme, Naoki will undertake research on infrastructure development to realise a circular society. He will draw upon past knowledge, mainly from Asia, the latest technology, appropriate finance, and relevant social systems.

Read his article, How Japan is using the circular economy to recycle plastics, from circulareconomy.earth.