Kenichirō Sasae


Kenichiro Sasae is a retired Japanese diplomat who served as Japan's ambassador to the United States from 2012 - 2018. He is currently President of the Japan Institute of International Affairs.

Career

Sasae joined the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in April 1974 and served in a number of key diplomatic positions dealing with Japan's foreign policy toward Asia, including as Director of the Northeast Asia Division and Director-General of the Asian and Oceania Affairs Bureau. He served as the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs from August 2010 until his appointment as Japanese ambassador to the United States in September 2012.
Sasae served as Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was representative of Japan during the six-party talks to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns as a result of the North Korean nuclear weapons program. On 19 August 2012, as Vice Foreign Minister, Sasae stated that the protests made by China are "unacceptable" and voiced regret over anti-Japanese protests in China.

Other activities