Kenichiro Sasae

Kenichiro Sasae entered Japan’s Foreign Ministry after graduating from the University of Tokyo in 1974. His career moved between American affairs, regional security, and humanitarian diplomacy. In Geneva he became a special adviser to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata in 1994. He later served as an executive assistant to the prime minister, led the economic and Asian affairs bureaus, and represented Japan in the Six-Party Talks on North Korea. ^{1, 2}

As vice minister from 2010 to 2012 and then ambassador in Washington, Sasae worked at the center of the American alliance. His Washington term spanned the Obama and first Trump administrations. In a May 2017 interview, he defended Japan’s early engagement with Donald Trump as a means of establishing direct personal contact rather than relying on campaign statements. He also continued to argue for the strategic value of the Trans-Pacific Partnership after the American withdrawal, while explaining Japan’s willingness to enter a new bilateral economic dialogue. ³

His wife Nobuko, an experienced conference interpreter, founded a recurring forum connecting younger professional women with established women leaders. After leaving diplomatic service in 2018, Sasae became president of the Japan Institute of International Affairs. ^{1, 2}