cafejc

"I'd like to work with A and B because blah blah. Being able to consult Prof. Retired will also be invaluable"

UC San Diego would be a great choice. There's a huge concentration of Asia scholars (mainly political science, but some economics/other fields) at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS), which is next to the Political Science Department. Those faculty frequently advice the poli sci PhDs. See http://irps.ucsd.edu/faculty/faculty-directory/ .