Nobukatsu Kanehara served at the highest levels in the Government of Japan, where he was a leading diplomat and strategic voice on international affairs. He was Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe from 2012 to 2019, and the inaugural Deputy Secretary-General of Japan’s National Security Secretariat, a role he held from 2013 until his retirement from government service. Mr Kanehara has nuanced insights into Japanese national security priorities, as well as domestic political and policy dynamics.