Kotaro Abe is a practitioner with research interests in economic security and strategic supply chains, particularly critical minerals, semiconductors, and defense equipment. He holds an M.A. in Peace and Security Studies from the University of Hamburg. As a JUST Non-Resident Fellow, he examines risks across the semiconductor supply chain—from upstream mineral inputs to downstream manufacturing—and policy options to strengthen resilience.
He serves as Deputy Director at the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), working on mineral resources financing. Previously, he spent nearly a decade at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including at the Embassy of Japan in Germany, where he worked on investment screening, 5G infrastructure, and energy security.
In 2025, he participated in JADE fellowship program, writing on countering the weaponization of rare earths. He is also an alumnus of the German Marshall Fund’s Young Strategists Forum and a member of the Japan-Australia Business Cooperation Committee’s Future Leaders Program.