Jeffrey "Jeff" Kingston (born June 26, 1957) is an American professor at

Temple University, Japan Campus Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ) is an international campus of Temple University (located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States). TUJ is located in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo and Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan. It is the oldest and largest fore ...

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 Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

in 1979. He then completed an MA in international affairs in 1981 and a PhD in history, both from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

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 ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'', ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'', ''

Nikkei Asian Review ''Nikkei Asia'', known as ''Nikkei Asian Review'' between 2013 and 2020, is a major Japan-based English-language weekly news magazine focused on the Asian continent, although it also covers broader international developments. It is headquartere ...

'', ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', 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 Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving pri ...

and his moves to amend

Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution is a clause in the Constitution of Japan outlawing war as a means to settle international disputes involving the state. The Constitution was drafted following the surrender of Japan in World War II. It came into effect on 3 May 1947 during the oc ...

, which restricts Japan's military and on Abe's historical revisionism about

Japanese war crimes During its imperial era, Empire of Japan, Japan committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity across various Asian-Pacific nations, notably during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Second Sino-Japanese and Pacific Wars. These incidents ...

.Kingston, Jef
Abe’s revisionism and Japan’s divided war memories August 22, 2015
''

Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'' Retrieved September 23, 2015

Bibliography

Books written

* ''The Politics of Religion, Nationalism, and Identity in Asia'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019) * ''Japan'' (Polity Press, 2019) * ''Contemporary Japan: History, Politics and Social Change Since the 1980s'' (Wiley-Blackwell 2010, 2012) *''Japan in transformation 1945–2020'' (Routledge,2021) * ''Japan in transformation 1945–2010'' (Pearson, 2010) * ''Japan in transformation 1952–2000'' (Longmans, 2001) * ''Kokka Saisei'' (Hayakawa 2005) * ''Japan's quiet transformation: Social change and civil society in the 21st century'' (2004)

Edited volumes

* The Routledge Handbook of Trauma in East Asia (Routledge 2023) * Japan in the Heisei Era (1989–2019) (Routledge 2022) * Press Freedom in Contemporary Asia (Routledge 2019) * Japan's Foreign Relations in Asia (Routledge 2018) * ''Press Freedom in Contemporary Japan'' (Routledge, 2017) * ''Asian Nationalism since 1945'' (Wiley-Blackwell, 2016) * ''Contemporary Japanese Politics'' (4 volumes) (2013) * ''Natural Disaster and Nuclear Crisis in Japan: Response and Recover After Japan's 3/11'' (2012) * Tsunami: Japan's Post-Fukushima Future (Foreign Policy, 2011) *

References

External links

Temple University – Jeff Kingston

The Japan Times – Jeff Kingston
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kingston, Jeff 1957 births Living people Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Foreign educators in Japan American emigrants to Japan Japanese-language writers American expatriates in Japan American Japanologists American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University alumni