Joseph Chang

Dr. Joseph Chiao-sen Chang is a professor at Nihon University(日本大学) in Tokyo and currently a visiting researcher at the University of Washington’s Center for Japanese Studies, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. Originally from Taiwan, he earned his Ph.D. in Japan, focusing on International Economics and International Business. Prior to his doctoral studies, he completed an MBA and worked for several years in the United States. He previously served as Director of the Research Institute of Commerce at his home institution and has held visiting positions at the East-West Center, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Academia Sinica, and National Taiwan University.

His research focuses on the effects of political-economic uncertainty on foreign direct investment, global value chains, and firm behavior, particularly in Japan, Taiwan, and East Asia. Notably, his 2016 study, “To Be or Not to Be? Incentive Policy: Impacts on Inward FDI Behaviors,” investigates how government policies influence investment decisions under uncertain geopolitical conditions. During his sabbatical at UW, Dr. Chang is examining the strategic international alliances of Taiwanese semiconductor firms amid rising U.S.-China tensions and exploring the shifting dynamics of economic interdependence in the Asia-Pacific region.