Ambassador and Consulate General of Japan in New York. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1984, where his main focus has been US-Japan relations. Previous positions include Executive Secretary to the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary and Executive Secretary to the Prime Minister, Director of the Ministry’s First North American Division, and Deputy Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Minister at the Embassy of Japan in Washington DC, Director-General of the Economic Affairs Bureau of the Ministry, and one of the architects of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. His current post began in October 2018.