Kent traces his journey from growing up in Alaska, where early encounters with Japanese visitors first sparked his curiosity about Asia, to becoming an international lawyer and comparative legal scholar. A chance enrolment in Japanese at Middlebury College led to a study program in Nagoya in the late 1980s, an experience that cemented his commitment to Asian Studies and expanded into a lifelong engagement with Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. After migrating to Australia in 2001, Kent combined his disciplinary expertise in law with Asian Studies, later serving as Dean of Asian Studies at ANU and holding senior leadership roles across several Australian universities. Beyond academia, he has influenced national policy through his roles on the New Colombo Plan Advisory Board, the National Library Council, and as a senior adviser to the federal Education Minister. As ASAA President (2016–18), he championed Asian languages, international education, and opportunities for emerging scholars. He continues to stress the enduring importance of languages, experiential study abroad, and high-quality teaching as central to the vitality and influence of Asian Studies in Australia. 

Watch Kent’s interview below or on the ASAA’s youtube channel here. See the other interviews in the series here.