Dr. Soeya is professor of political science and international relations at the Faculty of Law of Keio University. He also serves as the Director of the Institute of East Asian Studies of the same university. His areas of interest are politics and security in East Asia, and Japanese diplomacy and its external relations in the region and the world. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1987, majoring in world politics. Dr. Soeya currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Japan Association of International Studies, serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Association’s English journal, International Relations of the Asia Pacific. From 1999-2000, he served as a member of the Prime Minister`s Commission on Japan`s Goals in the 21st Century, and, in 2010, as a member of the Council on Security and Defense Capabilities in the New Era.