Lt. Gen. Yamaguchi (Ret.) graduated from the National Defense Academy in 1974 majoring in applied physics and originally trained as an army aviator flying helicopters. He received his M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1988, and was a National Security Fellow at the John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard (1991-1992). He has held positions as Senior Defense Attaché at the Japanese Embassy in the United States, Deputy Commandant of the GSDF Aviation School, and Vice President of the National Institute for Defense Studies. Since 2006 he held responsibilities as Commanding General of the GSDF Research and Development Command until his retirement from active duty in December 2008. In April 2009, he joined the academy as Professor of Military History and Strategy. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, Lt. Gen. Yamaguchi served at the Prime Minister’s Office as Special Adviser to the Cabinet for Crisis Management until September 2011.