Astro 2020 Science White Paper : Direct Imaging and Spectroscopy of Exoplanets with the James Webb Space Telescope Thematic areas : Planetary Systems Star and Planet Formation Formation & Evolution of Compact Objects Cosmology

Coronagraphic imaging and direct spectroscopy of young planets with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will add new insights into our understanding of the formation and evolution of exoplanets. This White Paper focuses on how JWST will add to our knowledge of young giant planets located at orbits beyond a few AU for the closest stars and a few 10s of AU for more distant ones. Companion White Papers concentrate on the study of mature planets via transit spectroscopy (White Paper by Greene et al.) and on the connection between exoplanets and planets within our own solar system (White Paper by Lunine et al.)