Kuniharu Kakihara

Fellow, Harvard University Asia Center; Lieutenant General (ret.), Japan Air Self- Defense Force.

Research Project:
Designing Extended Deterrence Under Nuclear Parity: Japan’s Offshore Trigger Architecture in a Tripolar Nuclear Age

Lt. Gen (ret.). Kuniharu Kakihara graduated from the National Defense Academy, and holds a M.A. in Area Studies from the University of Tsukuba and M.S. in National Security Strategy from the U.S. National Defense University. He is currently a researcher at Fujitsu's National Security Institute and Institute of Geoeconomics. In the JASDF, he served in key leadership roles, including Commander of the Air Development and Test Command, Commandant of Air Command and Staff College, and Chief of Staff at the Air Defense Command. His research focuses on national defense strategy, extended deterrence, and international security, with particular emphasis on nuclear deterrence, strategic stability, and alliance management in East Asia. He has written several papers, including “Counterbalancing China: Improving the Effectiveness of Resilient Response and Deterrence by Allied Forces,” in JAAS Asia Kenkyu (2015).