Yusuke Ishihara is Research Fellow of National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS), specializing in Japan-Australia-US strategic relations. His publications include ‘Japan-Australia Defence Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region’, William Tow and Tomonori Yoshizaki (eds)Beyond the Hub-and-Spokes (NIDS, 2014) and Australia Chapter in East Asian Strategic Review 2013 and 2014. From 2014 to 2015, Mr Ishihara served as Deputy Director in International Policy Division, Bureau of Defense Policy, Ministry of Defense Japan, where he handled Japan’s regional defense diplomacy, especially defense relations with ASEAN.