Kyoko Kuwahara

Expert Overview

Kyoko Kuwahara specializes in public diplomacy, strategic communications, disinformation and soft power strategies and is a research fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), as well as a fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

After completing a master’s course at the Osaka School of International Public Policy (OSIPP), Osaka University, she joined the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, where she was a research fellow in 2017-2018. She then served as an officer at the Office for Strategic Communication Hub at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 2018-2019 before joining the JIIA.

Her recently published books include Disinformation Warfare: The War in Your Heads (Japanese), co-author (2023), Why is Japan's "Righteousness" Difficult to Convey to the World? Fierce Image Competition between Japan, China, and South Korea (Japanese) (2020), and After Sharp Power: The Dawn of the New Cold War between the U.S. and China (Japanese), co-author (2019). Her most recent published articles include ‘Strengthening International Cooperation: The case of a Taiwan Strait Contingency’ (MLI Commentary, Macdonald-Laurier Institute, March 2023), ‘Disinformation Threats during a Taiwan Contingency and Countermeasures’ (Research Report, the Japan Institute of International Affairs, March 22, 2022), ‘Fighting Disinformation: Japan’s Unique Situation and The Future of Canada-Japan Cooperation’ (MLI Commentary, Macdonald-Laurier Institute, November 2021) and ‘The Disinformation Threat and International Cooperation’ (JIIA Strategic Comments, the Japan Institute of International Affairs, June 2, 2021).