Weinstein, Kenneth R. – Japan – April 2020

REPORT FOR THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

UNITED STATES SENATE

SUBJECT:            Ambassadorial Nomination:  Certificate of Demonstrated Competence — Foreign Service Act, Section 304(a)(4)

POST:                   Japan

CANDIDATE:     Kenneth R. Weinstein

Kenneth R. Weinstein is President & CEO and Walter P. Stern Chair of the Hudson Institute in Washington D.C.  Mr. Weinstein is also Chairman of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, whose entities include the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting.  Weinstein also serves on the Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations, which provides counsel to the United States Trade Representative.  A political theorist by training, Mr. Weinstein has engaged and written on a wide range of issues with a strong focus on Asia and Europe.  He chaired or keynoted U.S.-Japan policy fora on security, strategy, trade and scientific cooperation, including workshops featuring members of the Japanese Diet and U.S. Congress.  His commitment to advancing American leadership and engagement, strong ties to senior leaders in government, the private sector and academia, and broad understanding of the complexities of policy making make him an excellent choice to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Japan.

Mr. Weinstein is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Aspen Institute Prague, a member of the Board of Directors of ELNET–France and serves on the Advisory Board of the Forum for Jewish Leadership (London, U.K.).  Earlier in his career, he was Deputy Director and Director of the Washington, D.C. office of the Shalem Center; Director of the Government Reform Project at The Heritage Foundation; and Director of Policy for the New Citizenship Project.

Mr. Weinstein received his B.A. from the University of Chicago, an M.Phil. from Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), and a Ph.D. from Harvard University.  Weinstein speaks fluent French and German.  He received numerous awards from civic and religious groups, as well as an Honorary Knighthood, Arts and Letters, from the French Ministry of Culture.