From 1993 to 2006 Emmott was the editor of The Economist, the famous British weekly magazine which was established in 1843.
Emmott has published over 10 books, 6 of which are dedicated to Japan, where he lived for many years as a correspondent for The Economist.
He is a member of the Trilateral Commission and of the BBC World Service Governors' Consultative Committee; he also collaborates with the Corriere della Sera.