Yasuo Takao is a political scientist in the research areas of comparative politics and international relations with the geographical emphasis of Northeast Asia and the United States. His research interests include aging populations and post-growth societies, gender equality, intergenerational equity, immigration policy and low carbon leadership. His written works include National Integration and Local Power in Japan (Routledge, 2020), Japan’s Environmental Politics and Governance: From Trading Nation to Eco-Nation (Routledge 2016), and Reinventing Japan: From Merchant Nation to Civic Nation (Palgrave Macmillan 2007).