Ambassador
in Town
In Ambassador in Town, we will ask ambassadors about their relationship with Japan, and how they view the geoeconomics amid the rapidly changing dynamics of international relations.
Archives
Amb. Rahm Emanuel (U.S. Ambassador to Japan)
Rahm Emanuel
United States Ambassador to Japan
Rahm Emanuel was confirmed in a bipartisan vote as the 31st United States Ambassador to Japan on December 18, 2021.
Previously, Ambassador Emanuel was the 55th Mayor of the City of Chicago, a position he held until May 2019. During that time, he made the critical choices necessary to secure Chicago’s future as a global capital. Prior to becoming Mayor, from November 2008 until October 2010, Ambassador Emanuel served as President Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff. From 1993 to 1998, Ambassador Emanuel was a key member of President Bill Clinton’s administration, rising to serve as Senior Advisor to the President for Policy and Politics.
Ambassador Emanuel graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1981 and received a Master’s Degree in Speech and Communication from Northwestern University in 1985.
Amb. Teimuraz Lezhava (Georgia Ambassador to Japan)
Teimuraz Lezhava
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Japan
Scholar Experience
September 2011 Graduated from Waseda University, School of International Liberal Arts
Work Experience
April 2012 – August 2015 Kikkoman Corporation, Department of Metropolitan Sales and Marketing, Department of Foreign Sales and Marketing
September 2015 – September 2018 Sales and Marketing Advisor in multiple Georgian and Japanese companies
December 2017 – September 2018 LLC Delivery, Founder
October 2018 – July 2019 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Counselor
August 2019 – Embassy of Georgia to Japan, Chargé d’affaires
November 2021 – Embassy of Georgia to Japan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Japan
Ovidiu Dranga, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to Japan
Ovidiu Dranga
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to Japan
The Ambassador of Romania, Ovidiu Dranga, presented his Credentials to His Majesty the Emperor of Japan on 30 September 2021.
Before assuming his post in Tokyo, Ovidiu Dranga was the Ambassador of Romania to the Republic of Poland, from June 2013 to May 2021. Prior to his posting in Warsaw, he served as the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, as well as State Secretary for Parliament Relations and Public Diplomacy and, from January to June 2013, as State Secretary for Global Affairs.
Between 2008 – 2012, Ovidiu Dranga was the Ambassador of Romania to the Kingdom of Belgium.
Ovidiu Dranga joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1991 and currently holds the diplomatic rank of Ambassador. After working for a year as journalist for ”Lumea” weekly magazine, he held various positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania and the diplomatic missions of Romania, such as: Deputy Head of Mission, Mission of Romania to NATO and WEU (Brussels); Director of NATO and Strategic Affairs Division (MFA); Policy Director (MFA) etc.
Ovidiu Dranga also worked in the Ministry of Defense, where he held, among other positions, a mandate as Deputy State Secretary for Defense Policy and Euro-Atlantic Integration (2001 – 2003).
Sibi George, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Japan
Sibi George
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Japan
H.E. Sibi George is Ambassador of India to Japan. Earlier he served as Ambassador to Switzerland, The Holy See and The Principality of Liechtenstein and Ambassador of India to Kuwait. Ambassador George joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1993. He began his diplomatic career in Cairo where he served in the Mission as Political Officer. Subsequently he moved to Indian Embassy in Doha where he handled Consular, Community, Information and Media affairs as First Secretary. Later he served as Political Counsellor in Indian High Commission in Islamabad and as Political Counsellor and Commercial Counsellor at Indian Embassy in Washington DC. He also served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Indian Missions in Tehran and Riyadh. At Headquarters of Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, he served in East Asia Division and also as coordinator of India-Africa Forum Summit. He later headed Administration, Establishment and Welfare Divisions in the Ministry of External Affairs. In 2014, Ministry of External Affairs conferred on him S.K. Singh Award for Excellence in Indian Foreign Service.
Julia Longbottom, British Ambassador to Japan
Julia Longbottom
British Ambassador to Japan
March 2021- Tokyo, Ambassador
2016 to 2020 FCO, Director for Consular Services, Consular Directorate
2012 to 2016 Tokyo, Minister and Deputy Head of Mission
2003 to 2006 Warsaw, Director of Trade & Investment and Consul General
1998 to 2002 The Hague, Head of Political and EU Section
1990 to 1993 Tokyo, Second Secretary – Political
1986 Joined FCO
【Special Edition】Leap of Trilateral Relationship: the influence to Indo-Pacific.
On August 29, 2023, we invited US Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, South Korean Ambassador Yun Dukmin, and Cabinet Secretary for Public Affairs Noriyuki Shikata under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a members-only panel discussion on “Japan-US-ROK Trilateral Relations for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.” The panelists spoke from their respective countries’ perspectives on the significance of the historic US-ROK-Japan Summit at Camp David on August 18 and on how closer trilateral ties will affect the security of the Indo-Pacific and East Asia. The discussion was moderated by I-House Managing Director and Asia-Pacific Initiative President Ken Jimbo.
Panelists:
Rahm Emanuel, US Ambassador to Japan
Yun Dukmin, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Japan
Noriyuki Shikata, Cabinet Secretary for Public Affairs, Prime Minister’s Office of Japan
Moderator:
Ken Jimbo (Managing Director (Representative Director) / President, Asia Pacific Initiative)