Mr. Jiho Ha
Mr. Jiho Ha majored in Dutch studies (Bachelor of Art) and International Economics and Law (Bachelor of Economics) at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Korea. Prior to joining the Reischauer Center, he worked at American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM). To achieve the mission of AMCHAM which is to promote the relations between the US and Korea, he took charge of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) business of membership companies in Korea. He also worked in the sales operation department at Johnson & Johnson’s Korean branch. He contributed to boosting sales by managing customer data and contracts. He also cooperated with foreign branches which were based in China, Singapore, India, and the US to conduct a project. At the Reischauer Center, he conducts research about Korean leadership in international organizations and analyzes it in the context of international relations.

Ms. Mika Mizobuchi
Ms. Mika Mizobuchi is a sophomore at Tufts University majoring in International Relations and minoring in Spanish. During her time at the Reischauer Center, she conducted research on the implications of East Asian maritime trade from the Suez Canal blockade, the development of the Northern Sea Route through the Arctic regions, as well as the geopolitics in the Arctic specifically between the US, Japan, China, and Russia. At Tufts, she is the Curriculum Director of ALLIES (Alliances Linking Leaders in Education and the Services), a student-led organization that holds weekly discussions, simulations, and speaker events that center around international relations and security studies.

Mr. Evan Wright
Mr. Evan Wright is a senior at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures and minoring in Intelligence Studies. Prior to joining the Reischauer Center, he interned with the U.S. Department of State at Embassy Tokyo and works as the undergraduate assistant for the 21st Century Japan Politics and Society Initiative (21JPSI). Evan also studies Japanese foreign policy and U.S.-East Asian relations as a research assistant for Dr. Adam P. Liff. Currently, he is writing a senior honors thesis on the evolution of the Japanese intelligence community since the end of the Cold War focusing on foreign intelligence and intelligence cooperation. At the Reischauer Center, Evan researches the geoeconomic significance of East Asia, with a particular emphasis on Taiwan and technology such as semiconductors. Summer 2022, he will intern with the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Japanese Affairs. Mr. Wright is a Hamilton National Fellow, Reagan National Defense Fellow, and part of Johns Hopkins University’s 2021 Kakehashi Young Researchers cohort.

Claire D’Alessio
Claire D’Alessio is a senior at Johns Hopkins University, where she is majoring in International Studies. Before joining the Reischauer Center, she interned with the Carter Center in Atlanta, where she conducted research on the conflict in Syria. She has also spent time abroad in the Middle East, studying in Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine and Amman, Jordan. At the Reischauer Center, Claire combined her interests in the Middle East and East Asia to conduct research on Chinese relations with the Middle East and China-driven development projects. Claire also investigated sea lanes and Chinese investment in ports throughout the Middle East and southern Europe.

Corinthians Payne
Corinthians Payne is a senior at Howard University in Washington, DC, currently pursuing his B.A. in International Affairs and Economics. He studies Mandarin and Chinese culture at his university and is an active member of the Chinese club at Howard. Prior to joining the Reischauer Center as an intern, he was a research assistant at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Africa Program. There, he focused on trade, investment, and development issues in Africa, as well as U.S.-China-Africa interrelations from a geopolitical perspective. His research interests lie in trade, sustainable development, and humanitarian response between the U.S., China, and Africa. As an intern at the Reischauer Center, he has analyzed the impacts of COVID-19 on the developing world, specifically Nigeria, as well as the response to COVID-19 in East Asia.

Jiawei Wang
Jiawei Wang is a junior majoring in history at the University of Tokyo with a focus on late imperial China and modern East Asia. Born and raised in Shanghai, China, he is currently pursuing his B.A in Japan and studied abroad at Johns Hopkins University (Homewood) from the fall of 2019 to the spring of 2020, during which he started as an intern at the Reischauer Center. Prior to joining the Reischauer Center, he interned at UBS as an equity research analyst and Dentsu Aegis Network where he participated in promoting the entry of Japanese manufacturers into China’s e-commerce market. He is also active as a member of the East Asian Academy for New Liberal Arts, a joint project between Japan’s UTokyo and China’s Peking University that aims to overcome Eurocentricism and to create a truly universal human science. His research at the Reischauer Center currently focuses on China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the role of Sino-Japan cooperation in infrastructure, third-country assistance, technological innovation, and healthcare.

Emma Brenner
Emma Brenner is a junior at Johns Hopkins University double majoring in East Asian and International Studies. Prior to joining the Reischauer Center, she worked as a summer intern at Keio Academy of New York, an affiliate of Keio University in Japan. At Johns Hopkins, she is on the East Asian Studies Advisory Committee, where she works to arrange speaker panels, webinars, and East Asian-related events. While at the Reischauer Center, she has conducted research on Japan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on specific cases of COVID-19 outbreak and discussing the lessons learned and recommendations for other countries. In the Spring of 2021, she will be continuing her Japanese studies abroad at Tokyo University in Japan.

Ayane Nakanoh
Ayane Nakanoh is a fourth year student at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, currently pursuing her B.A. in International Legal Studies. She previously spent a year at Oslo University in Norway as an exchange student from the fall of 2017 to the spring of 2018 with concentrations on social welfare systems and human rights. Prior to joining the Reischauer Center, she interned at Japan for UNHCR where she was responsible for the promotion, planning, and execution of various events in order to raise awareness of Japan for UNHCR. While at the Reischauer Center, she has conducted research on Japan’s foreign policy regarding China’s BRI and the autonomy of Tokyo’s governorship. Her other duties include documenting the Japanese government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and US-Japan and Sino-Japan relations during the crisis.

Mr. Yaxiong (Luke) Chen
Yaxiong (Luke) Chen: Mr. Yaxiong (Luke) Chen is a rising senior double majoring in politics and economics at Oberlin College. Born and raised in China, he has spent his university years in the U.S. and in the UK, spending one semester abroad at the University of Oxford before coming to the Reischauer Center. At Oberlin, Luke is focusing on the political economic reforms in China for his senior honors project. He has also worked as a peer advising leader for first-year students and was an assistant for the international student office. His research interests include comparative politics, the political economy of East Asia, as well as domestic politics of Eastern Europe and Latin America. As a research intern at the Reischauer Center, Luke has contributed to the publication on global political cities at in its final stages, and has also been following recent political news in Asia.

Ms. Seryung Kim
Ms. Seryung Kim is a senior at Ewha Womens University double majoring in History and Communication and Media. Born and raised in South Korea, she completed the first semester of her senior year in Seoul, South Korea before coming to the Washington, D.C. area. Prior to joining the Reischauer Center, she worked as a public ambassador for Shinhan Bank in Seoul where she was responsible for the promotion, planning, and execution of on/offline events in order to raise Shinhan Bank’s brand awareness. Her research interests lie broadly in the political affairs of Asia, although she is particularly interested in the relationship between South Korea, North Korea, Japan, and the U.S. While at the Reischauer Center, she has conducted research on the U.S.-Korea Peninsula issue. Her other duties included facilitating the preparation of international conferences, including meeting with and supporting conference guests.

Mr. Takumi Yaguchi
Mr. Takumi Yaguchi is a senior at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan, currently pursuing his B.A. in Economics. He has spent a year at American University (AU) as an exchange student from fall 2018 to spring 2019 with concentrations in Foreign Policy as well as Global Economics and Business. While at AU, he has strengthened his research capacity through academic and internship experiences. During his first semester at AU, he conducted an independent study on the impact of Donald Trump’s presidency on globalization in an era of dynamic changes in digital technology. Prior to joining the Reischauer Center, he spent half a year as a research intern at Washington CORE, a policy consulting firm in Maryland, where he joined a research project that looked into the startup ecosystems of major U.S. cities for a Japanese government-related organization. His interests lie especially in international business and diplomacy involving Asia. As an intern at the Reischauer Center, he is investigating the central-local relations in Japan, the autonomy of Tokyo’s governor, and Tokyo’s strategic actions following its successful 2013 Olympic bid.

Ms. Mizuki Yamamoto
Ms. Mizuki Yamamoto is a junior at the University of Kitakyushu, majoring in English. Although she was born and raised in Japan, she spent three years in Virginia as a child. Prior to joining the Reischauer Center as an intern, she was an active participant in the art club at her university in Fukuoka, Japan where she was in charge of print management. Her research interests lie in political affairs, particularly in regards to the Japan-U.S. relationship. Her current research focuses on U.S.-Japan relations, Japan’s global policies, and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Yuka Inomata
Yuka Inomata is an undergraduate student at International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan majoring in International Relations with a minor in Economics. She joined the Reischauer Center in her third year of university through a program under Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Internship for Development of Young Leaders. As a research intern, her primary focus has been the Global Cities Project, assessing different city initiatives across all continents. Her academic and professional interests lie in the intersection between the public and private sectors. Prior to moving to DC, she interned in the field of Japanese media and also participated in various extracurricular activities including OECD student ambassador and attending a summer school in Hong Kong.

Mr. Jasper Choi
Mr. Jasper Won-Suk Choi graduated magna cum laude from Kyung Hee University in February 2019, with a B.A. in International Studies. Prior to joining the Reischauer Center, he served as an infantry sergeant for the Republic of Korea’s Marine Corps in Ganghwa, Incheon. His duties at the Reischauer Center included assisting with Dr. Kent Calder’s monograph on the political and economic transition of the Bay of Bengal and writing memorandums regarding South Korean media responses to the Trump Administration’s policies on North Korea. His research interests revolve around ROK-U.S. relations and South Korea’s security strategy in Northeast Asia.