Shujiro Urata is Chairman of the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI). He is also Professor Emeritus, Waseda University, Senior Research Advisor, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), Specially Appointed Fellow at the Japanese Centre for Economic Research (JCER), and Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO).

Professor Urata received his BA in Economics from Keio University, MA and PhD in Economics from Stanford University. He is a former Research Associate at the Brookings Institution, an Economist at the World Bank. He specializes in international economics and has published a number of books and articles on international economic issues.

His recent books include Achieving Inclusive Growth in the Asia Pacific, co-editor, Australian National University Press, 2020, Enhancing SME Participation in Global Value Chains, editor, Asian Development Bank Institute, 2021, The Effect of Globalisation on Firm and Labour Performance, co-editor, Routledge, 2021, Globalization and Its Economic Consequences: Looking at APEC Economies, co-editor. Routledge, 2021, Sustainable Development Disciplines for Humanity, co-editor, Springer, Singapore, 2022, Sustainable Development Disciplines for Society, co-editor, Springer, Singapore, 2022.