Masashi Murano is a Japan Chair fellow at Hudson Institute. He leads policy work on US-Japan defense cooperation, building out the Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy, and nuclear and conventional deterrence analysis. As part of that work, he frequently briefs official delegations, news media, public intellectuals, academics, and business leaders from around the world. 

Mr. Murano has more than ten years of experience in research, analysis, tabletop exercises, and facilitation of numerous classified products related to strategic intelligence assessment and policy planning for the Japanese government. 

Prior to joining Hudson Institute, Mr. Murano was a fellow at the Okazaki Institute, a Tokyo-based think tank. He is a member of several government grant research programs, including the subcommittee on Security Issues in New Domains and the Government Grant Research Program for Foreign Affairs and Security Studies hosted by the University of Tokyo Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology. Mr. Murano’s writings and analyses have been published in leading news media and academic journals, including the Washington Post, Japan Times, Nikkei, Diplomat, Real Clear Defense, nippon.com, the Japan Review, and the Texas National Security Review. 

Mr. Murano received both his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Takushoku University in Tokyo, pursuing graduate work in security studies and undergraduate work in Asia-Pacific studies.