He received a Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University and a BA from Oriel College, Oxford University. In 2007-2008 he was a Research Associate at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University and a Senior Associate Member of the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies at St. Antony's College, Oxford. He has also been affiliated with the Institute for Social Sciences at the University of Tokyo, and the U.S.-Japan Relations Program at Harvard University.