Hirotaka Ishikawa (born September 12, 1973, in Osaka Prefecture) is a Japanese politician who has served as a member of…Hirotaka Ishikawa (born September 12, 1973, in Osaka Prefecture) is a Japanese politician who has served as a member of the House of Councillors of Japan since 2010. He represents the Osaka at-large district and is a member of the Komeito party.
Rui Arai (新居 るい, Arai Rui, née Matsukawa, 松川; February 26, 1971) is a Japanese politician and diplomat who serves as a…Rui Arai (新居 るい, Arai Rui, née Matsukawa, 松川; February 26, 1971) is a Japanese politician and diplomat who serves as a member of the House of Councillors representing the Liberal Democratic Party. She previously served as Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense and Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Cabinet Office. She is the wife of diplomat Yūsuke Arai.
Hideo Tarumi (垂秀夫) (born May 23, 1961) is a Japanese diplomat who served as the Ambassador to China, from November 2020…Hideo Tarumi (垂秀夫) (born May 23, 1961) is a Japanese diplomat who served as the Ambassador to China, from November 2020 to December 2023.
Kiyotaka Akasaka (赤阪 清隆, Akasaka Kiyotaka; born August 24, 1948 in Osaka, Japan) is the former United Nations…Kiyotaka Akasaka (赤阪 清隆, Akasaka Kiyotaka; born August 24, 1948 in Osaka, Japan) is the former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information. He was appointed to the position by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in February 2007. Akasaka also served as Coordinator for Multilingualism in the UN Secretariat. He completed his appointment at the UN in March 2012 and was succeeded by Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal of Austria. A career diplomat, Mr. Akasaka has served several multilateral organizations in different capacities. From 2003 to 2007, he was the Deputy Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), where he was responsible for issues on development, environment, sustainable development and building and maintaining partnership with other international organizations. From 1997 to 2000, he served as Deputy Director-General in the Multilateral Cooperation Department of the Japanese Foreign Ministry. He acted as one of the top negotiators in the Kyoto Conference on Climate Change in December 1997. From 2000 to 2001, he served as the Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations. Previously, he worked at the Secretariat of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) (1988–1991) and the World Health Organization (1993–1997). Akasaka joined the Japanese Foreign Ministry in April 1971, where he held several posts. He was Deputy Director of the Press Division and later the Ministry's Spokesman on climate change issues for many years. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in law from Kyoto University in 1971. In the following year, he pursued his studies at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he obtained a Bachelor and a Master of Arts in economics. He co-authored the books The GATT and the Uruguay Round Negotiations and The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. He also published many articles on trade, the environment and sustainable development in Japanese journals and newspapers. Aside from his native Japanese, Akasaka is also fluent in both English and French.
Mitoji Yabunaka (薮中 三十二, Yabunaka Mitoji; born 23 January 1948) is a Japanese former diplomat who served as Vice…Mitoji Yabunaka (薮中 三十二, Yabunaka Mitoji; born 23 January 1948) is a Japanese former diplomat who served as Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2008 to 2010. Prior to that position, Yabunaka served as Ministry of Foreign Affair's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director-General. He has been a diplomat for nearly forty years. Yabunaka has represented Japan on a number of occasions and has negotiated trade deals with the United States, Australia and Indonesia. He has had contact with a number of United States diplomats, including hosting current United States Ambassador to Japan John Roos shortly following Roos' appointment. During the first, second and third rounds of the Six-party talks, Yabunaka represented Japan as chief delegate. The Japanese government also sent Yabanuka as a delegate to China to discuss issues of natural gas reserves under the East China Sea. He handled Myanmar relations during the Kenji Nagai shooting incident, demanding an investigation and challenging governmental claims. Yabunaka replaced Toshiyuki Takano as Director General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau in 2002. In 2008 Yabunaka held talks with South Korean Ambassador Kwon Chul Hyun over disputed islets in the Sea of Japan.
Naotake Satō (佐藤 尚武, Satō Naotake; 30 October 1882 – 18 December 1971) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who…Naotake Satō (佐藤 尚武, Satō Naotake; 30 October 1882 – 18 December 1971) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as President of the House of Councillors from 1949 to 1953. He was a career diplomat who served as ambassador to Belgium and France in the 1930s. He briefly served as foreign minister under Prime Minister Senjuro Hayashi in 1937. He then served as ambassador to Italy and later to the Soviet Union, holding the latter position during most of the Second World War. After the war he was elected to the House of Councillors and served as its president.