Dr. Belinda Akemi Yeomans, Professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS), is a scholar-practitioner with expertise in Japan, Northeast Asia security dynamics, the U.S.–Japan security alliance, regional defense optimization, and the security architecture of the Indo-Pacific. She is the Faculty Lead for Japan programming at DKI APCSS, including the Japan – U.S. Security Discussion (JUSSD), a flagship initiative she created as a Track 1.5 Dialogue Series at Stanford University in 2016 and introduced to APCSS in 2025 as a Track 2 event with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA as project partners.
Dr. Yeomans is widely recognized for her senior leadership at Stanford University, where she served as Associate Director of the U.S.–Asia Security Initiative (USASI), where she led one of the most influential university-based security programs focused on Japan, Northeast Asia, and the security challenges of the Indo-Pacific. USASI convened senior leaders from government, military, academia, and business for candid, high-impact dialogues under Chatham House Rule, influencing policy through strategic conversations on alliance coordination, deterrence, and regional stability. She spearheaded Stanford’s Track 1.5 Security and Defense Dialogue Series (with Japan, Southeast Asia (ASEAN), the Republic of China (Taiwan), and the People’s Republic of China), the project that is the template for JUSSD. A regular participant in Japan’s Mt. Fuji Dialogue, Dr. Yeomans contributes to international initiatives on alliance management and regional security.
Prior to joining DKI APCSS, Dr. Yeomans worked for various academic research centers, federal government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, including the U.S.-Japan Council’s Silicon Valley Japan Platform; Stanford University’s U.S.-Asia Security Initiative and the Taiwan Democracy & Security Project; the Presidio of Monterey’s Defense Language Institute & Foreign Language Center; Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies; the Asia Society of Washington, D.C.; and the Monterey Institute of International Studies. In addition, she worked independently as a National Security Research Consultant and Policy Analyst supporting the policy research projects of both practitioners and scholars.
Awarded a Presidential Nomination to the United States Military Academy, Dr. Yeomans attended West Point and Harvard University, transitioning from the U.S. Army with an Honorable Discharge and graduating from Harvard with an A.B. (a Double Major with Honors) in Government and in East Asian Languages & Civilizations. She completed a Master of Arts in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley and earned both a Master of Arts in East Asian Studies and a Ph.D. in Political Science at Stanford University.
