He is the author of a number of historical studies in both Japanese and English, including the book Nihon Keizai to Gaikoku Shihon (2005) and Investing Japan (forthcoming 2014). Hailing originally from West Australia, Simon holds a BA from Curtin University and took his PhD at Tohoku Gakuin University in Sendai, Japan. He is presently investigating Asian economic development and financial history from the 19th century to the present-day.