Indo-Pacific Program

Robert McKinnon is a Canberra-based nonresident fellow in GMF’s Indo-Pacific program. He specializes in Indo-Pacific strategic and economic issues with transatlantic and global implications. 

McKinnon had a 30-year career in foreign policy, strategic, economic, and intelligence roles in the Australian government. He has held several assistant secretary-level positions in Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Office of National Assessments/Intelligence. He served as minister-counsellor to the Australian embassy in Washington, DC from 2007 to 2012 and was a member of the 2018–19 United Nations Group of Governmental Experts on Further Practical Measures for the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space. 

McKinnon holds masters’ degrees from the University of London and the University of Queensland.

Kenta Fukao is a resident fellow in GMF's Indo-Pacific program. He also serves as an American Political Science Association–Sasakawa Peace Foundation Congressional Fellow (2024–2025).

Fukao has more than 10 years of experience working in the Japanese House of Representatives, most recently in the secretariat’s office. From 2020 to 2023, he served in the Japanese embassy in Washington, DC, organizing exchanges between the US and Japanese legislatures. He holds a master's degree in political science from the Graduate School of Law at Keio University.  

Yuki Tsujimura is a resident fellow in GMF's Indo-Pacific program. He also serves as an American Political Science Association–Sasakawa Peace Foundation Congressional Fellow (2024–2025) and is a PhD student at the University of Tokyo. His research focuses on the US Congress and its role in policy change, with a specific interest in representation and congressional procedure. 

Tsujimura earned a master's degree in political science from the University of Tokyo. His thesis, "The Effect of Issue Salience on Legislative Process", investigates Congress’ responsiveness to media attention in the current polarized era. He uses quantitative methods and text analysis to understand how political institutions influence politicians’ actions.