Professor Kigoshi is based in the Graduate School of Economics, Nagoya University, Japan. His main area of study is East Asian economic history. His recent research focuses particularly on the maritime history of modern Asia. While at LSE he will research the structure of modern Asian trade based on shipping intelligence, the historical records of ships' departures and arrivals as reported in a periodical such as a newspaper, the Lloyds list in the Times being the most famous of these records. From the 19th century onwards, it recorded important economic information from the world's major ports. Using the  record of daily departures and destinations of the ships, Professor Kigoshi will map the spatial structure and spatial development of trade networks.