Mr. Tokuchi Hideshi is the President of the Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS). Previously, he worked as Japan’s first-ever Vice Minister of Defense for International Affairs from 2014 to 2015 after completing several senior assignments including the Director General of Defense Policy Bureau. He is also a senior fellow of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), a visiting fellow of the Sophia Institute of International Relations (SIIR), and a senior research advisor for Nakasone Peace Institute (NPI). He teaches security-related issues at Keio University and Sophia University. He writes extensively on Japan’s national security policy, the Japan-U.S. alliance, and international security cooperation. Mr. Tokuchi earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Tokyo in 1979 and his M.A.L.D. degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 1986.