Dr. Kaoru NATSUDA is a Professor at the College of Asia Pacific Studies, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan. He was a visiting professor at Budapest Business School (2019-2020) and also a visiting scholar at Parge Metropolitan University (2025-2026) and Charles University in Prague (2015-2016). He obtained his Ph.D in Economics from the University of Sydney, Australia, and his MA in International Development Studies from the University of Bradford, UK. His research interests include industrial development and political economy in Asia and Central Europe. He has published papers in many SSCI-indexed journals. His book (co-authored with John Thoburn), Automotive Industrialization: Industrial Policy and Development in Southeast Asia was published in 2021.