William Chou

Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, Japan Chair

Will Chou

At A Glance:

William Chou is a senior fellow and deputy director of Hudson Institute's Japan Chair.

Biography

William Chou is a senior fellow and deputy director of Hudson Institute’s Japan Chair. His work at Hudson focuses on the United States’ relationship with Japan and other Indo-Pacific issues, especially economic security, trade and investment, and regional partnerships. Dr. Chou’s recent projects include analyses of the Nippon Steel–US Steel partnership, economic security cooperation among the US, Japan, and the European Union, automotive and critical mineral supply chains, and US industrial and trade initiatives around the world.

Dr. Chou writes and speaks regularly on policy issues, with his analysis appearing in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Politico, The Washington Post, Nikkei, The New York Times, and the Financial Times.

He holds a BA in history from Yale and a PhD in history from the Ohio State University, with a dissertation and book manuscript on Cold War US-Japan commercial and diplomatic relations. He is a former fellow at the Smithsonian, the Clements Center at the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Tokyo. He began his career as a research analyst at the Institute for Defense Analyses during the Iraq War.

A native New Yorker, Dr. Chou is a former Jeopardy! champion.

Events
12
October 2026
Past Event
Trilateral US-Japan-Taiwan Cooperation on Physical AI
Featured Speakers:
Jeremy Chih-Cheng Chang
Ken Fukuda
Emma Rafaelof
William Chou
robots
12
October 2026
Past Event
Trilateral US-Japan-Taiwan Cooperation on Physical AI

Join Hudson Institute for remarks and a panel discussion on how the US, Japan, and Taiwan can collaborate to seize Physical AI’s opportunities.

robots
Featured Speakers:
Jeremy Chih-Cheng Chang
Ken Fukuda
Emma Rafaelof
William Chou
30
September 2026
Past Event
Regional Reactions to the US-China Summit
Featured Speakers:
Takahiro Tsuchiya
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Patrick M. Cronin
William Chou
Trump/Xi
30
September 2026
Past Event
Regional Reactions to the US-China Summit

Join Hudson Institute for a discussion which will examine how Japan, Europe, South Korea, and Southeast Asia view the Trump–Xi summit and how the regions will act on their priorities going forward. 

Trump/Xi
Featured Speakers:
Takahiro Tsuchiya
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Patrick M. Cronin
William Chou
10
September 2026
Past Event
Strengthening the US-Japan Alliance Through Semiconductor and AI Partnerships
Featured Speakers:
William Chou
Atsuyoshi Koike
Arvind Krishna
Bill Guidera
Kazumi Nishikawa
Getty Images
10
September 2026
Past Event
Strengthening the US-Japan Alliance Through Semiconductor and AI Partnerships

Join Hudson Institute’s Japan Chair for a conference to showcase and strengthen US-Japan cooperation in semiconductors and AI. US Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Innovation and Engagement Bill Guidera will deliver an opening keynote before engaging in a fireside chat with Senior Fellow William Chou. 

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
William Chou
Atsuyoshi Koike
Arvind Krishna
Bill Guidera
Kazumi Nishikawa
10
March 2026
Past Event
US-Japan Cooperation on Naval Maintenance, Commercial Shipbuilding, and Shipping
Featured Speakers:
Akira Fukaishi
Diana Maurer
Michael Roberts
Kyoko Imai
Moderator:
William Chou
DVIDS
10
March 2026
Past Event
US-Japan Cooperation on Naval Maintenance, Commercial Shipbuilding, and Shipping

Join Hudson for a discussion highlighting each nation's approach to these common challenges, as well as how US-Japan collaboration should best proceed.

DVIDS
Featured Speakers:
Akira Fukaishi
Diana Maurer
Michael Roberts
Kyoko Imai
Moderator:
William Chou
President Donald J Trump speaks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House on February 7, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Jabin Botsford via Getty Images)
Caption
President Donald J Trump speaks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House on February 7, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Jabin Botsford via Getty Images)
kenneth-weinstein
kenneth-weinstein
Japan Chair
Will Chou
Will Chou
Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, Japan Chair
thomas_duesterberg
thomas_duesterberg
Senior Fellow
Riley Walters
Riley Walters
Senior Fellow
Commentary
3 Min Read
apan Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Shohei Ishii (right) and Philippine Coast Guard  Chief of Staff Commodore Joeven Fabul (left) take part in arrival honors at the Philippine Coast Guard  headquarters on November 4, 2023, in Manila, Philippines, as the countries seek to bolster military ties  after tensions escalated between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. (Ezra Acayan via  Getty Images)
Caption
Japan Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Shohei Ishii (right) and Philippine Coast Guard Chief of Staff Commodore Joeven Fabul (left) take part in arrival honors at the Philippine Coast Guard headquarters on November 4, 2023, in Manila, Philippines, as the countries seek to bolster military ties after tensions escalated between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. (Ezra Acayan via Getty Images)