Volunteer Leaders

Leo Yamaguchi

Director

Leo is a senior at Waseda University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in International Liberal Studies with a concentration in international relations. The main focus of his research is on the development and future of Japanese security policy, Japan’s role in the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy, and the influence of the US-China rivalry on Japan. Leo conducted a one-year exchange program at George Washington University (GWU) where he furthered his studies in the aforementioned fields under professors such as Professor Mike Mochizuki and Professor Robert Sutter. Before joining YCAPS, Leo worked as a research assistant at the Memory and Reconciliation in the Asia-Pacific (MRAP) a policy research project associated with GWU’s Sigur Center for Asian Studies where he researched postwar historical reconciliation between Japan and South Korea. In addition, he is currently working as a policy researcher at a public affairs consultancy in Japan conducting research for the Japanese market, politicians, bureaucrats, laws, and policies to mitigate differences between foreign clients and Japanese policymakers.