Robert Huey is Professor of Japanese Literature at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He specializes in classical and medieval waka (poetry) and his most recent work examines how traditional Japanese literature and culture was practiced and deployed in the Ryukyu Kingdom both as pastime and diplomatic tool. He has served as a member of the University of the Ryukyus' Management Council since 2009 and is currently a Board Member for the Urasenke Hawaiʻi Foundation and Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship Foundation.