Jeff Kingston

Jeffrey "Jeff" Kingston (born June 26, 1957) is an American professor at Temple University, Japan Campus in Tokyo and an author. He has written a number of books, wrote regularly for The Japan Times, and frequently comments on Asian affairs in mass media outlets.

Early life and studies He graduated with a BS in foreign service from Georgetown University in 1979. He then completed an MA in international affairs in 1981 and a PhD in history, both from Columbia University.

Academic career Kingston was the founding director of Asian Studies at Temple University, Japan Campus in Tokyo.

Writing Kingston has published a number of academic volumes about Japan, nationalism, religion, and civil society in Asia. He started writing for The Japan Times in 1988, and had a weekly column called "Counterpoint" from 2013 until 2017. He has contributed opinion pieces to Financial Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Nikkei Asian Review, Washington Post, and The Mekong Review. He also writes for The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus.

Views

Kingston has been a consistent critic of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and his moves to amend Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which restricts Japan's military and on Abe's historical revisionism about Japanese war crimes.