Kenneth R. Weinstein

Kenneth R. Weinstein is Japan Chair at Hudson Institute as well as Founding Chair and CEO of the Indo-Pacific Forum (IPF), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting connectivity, resilience, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, which he co-founded with the late Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe.

Prior to founding the IPF, Dr. Weinstein served for fifteen years as CEO of Hudson Institute, the world-renowned think tank dedicated to US international leadership and global engagement. Weinstein led Hudson through a transformative period of growth.

Weinstein has served by presidential appointment on numerous federal commissions under four different US administrations, including on the Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations, the senior-most advisory board to then-US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

Weinstein, who speaks fluent French and German and regularly appears on live French and German television, holds a PhD in Government from Harvard University, a graduate degree (DEA) in Soviet Studies from Sciences Po, and a BA in the Humanities from the University of Chicago. He was named a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des arts et des lettres by the French Ministry of Culture in 2006 and given the Foreign Minister’s Commendation from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2022.

In March 2020, Weinstein was nominated by President Trump to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Japan, receiving unanimous support from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but the nomination expired at the end of the 116th Congress.

Weinstein serves on boards of nonprofit organizations in the US, Europe and Asia, and is an advisor to numerous corporations.