A Japan-based journalist and broadcaster specializing in Taiwan affairs, Takefumi Hayata holds a master's degree in Asian Studies from Hiroshima University and conducted graduate research at National Taiwan University's Institute of History in 1984.
From 1991 to 2013, he edited Taiwan Tsushin, a Japanese-language newsletter covering Taiwan's politics and economy. He has produced and hosted Japanese-language programs for Radio Taiwan International, and currently hosts Taiwan Tsushin Webradio and serves as an overseas correspondent for NHK Radio. Author of The True Heart of Taiwanese People (Toyo Keizai Inc., 1998), Hayata also advises on Japan-Taiwan business partnerships in pharmaceuticals, health foods, and cosmetics.