Robert J. Pekkanen

Robert J. Pekkanen is a Professor at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington, serving as the Japan Program’s Graduate Program Coordinator. He holds adjunct professorships in Political Science and Sociology. His research focuses on electoral systems, political parties, Japanese civil society, and nonprofit advocacy. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University in 2002.

Key research areas include electoral systems’ impact on governance, political party strategies, and the role of civil society in Japan. Notable works include Japan’s Dual Civil Society (2006), which won the Masayoshi Ohira Prize, and The Rise and Fall of Japan’s LDP (2010), co-authored with Ellis S. Krauss. His work has been supported by grants from the Mellon Foundation, Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, and others.

Pekkanen has co-edited influential volumes such as The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems and Japan Decides series analyzing Japanese general elections. His awards include the ISS/Oxford Prize (2014) and JANPORA’s Outstanding Research Award (2010, 2022). He teaches courses on Japanese politics, electoral systems, and international negotiation.