Saori N. Katada

Saori N. Katada is a Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California (USC). She specializes in geoeconomics, Japanese foreign policy, international political economy, regionalism, and Indo-Pacific relations. Her research emphasizes Japan’s strategic engagement in global and regional financial governance, including its responses to crises like the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the 2008 Great Recession.

Her academic contributions include seminal works such as Japan’s New Regional Reality: Geoeconomic Strategy in the Asia-Pacific (2020) and Taming Japan’s Deflation (2018). She has held leadership roles at USC, including multiple terms as Director of the International Relations Program and Graduate Director. Katada’s awards include a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship and recognition for teaching excellence.

Her recent research explores China-Japan competition in infrastructure diplomacy, the role of geoeconomics in Indo-Pacific stability, and the evolution of regional financial architectures. She serves on editorial boards, including Review of International Political Economy, and has contributed to policy debates on monetary policy, trade agreements, and developmentalist ideas.