Sheila Smith is a Fellow in Politics and Security Studies at the East-West Center, specializing in Japanese political and security issues and regional international relations. Her recent research focuses on the domestic politics of the US military presence in the Asia Pacific. Prior to joining the East-West Center, Dr. Smith was Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Boston University (1994-2000); visiting associate professor, International Institute for Japanese Studies, Kyoto, Japan (1998-1999); visiting research fellow, College of Law and Letters, University of the Ryukus, Okinawa, Japan, (1998); research fellow (1993-1994) and Japan fellow (1991-1992), East Asian Institute, Columbia University. Dr. Smith earned her Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in political science from Columbia University. Among Dr. Smith’s publications are “In Search of the Japanese State,” in Fieldwork in Japan (Honolulu: University of Hawai`i Press, 2003); editor, Local Voices, National Issues: Local Initiative in Japanese Policymaking (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 2000); "Okinawa kara miru Nihon no Seiji Henka,” [Japan’s Political Change-The View from Okinawa], Nichibunken (January 1999); “The Evolution of Military Cooperation in the US-Japan Alliance,” in US-Japan Security Relations: Past, Present and Future, Michael J. Green and Patrick Cronin, editors (Washington, DC: Council on Foreign Relations, 1999); “Do Domestic Politics Matter?: The Case of US Military Bases in Japan;” Working Paper Series on Power and Prosperity: A History of US-Japan Relations since the 1970s, National Security Archives, Washington, DC, August 1997; “The Making of Japan’s Security Policy,” in Japanese Public Policy: Perspectives and Resources (Washington, DC: The Library of Congress, 1995).