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Mr. Motohide YOSHIKAWA

Mr. Yoshikawa was born in Nara, Japan, in 1951. He graduated with a degree in Social Sciences from the International Christian University (Tokyo) in 1974. In the same year, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After his studies in Spain at the Universidad de Valladolid and the Escuela Diplomática, he was posted to the Japanese Embassy in Argentina. In 1980, he returned to Tokyo where he served as Assistant Director at the Latin American Bureau, Assistant Director of the Personnel Division and Deputy Director of the Grant Aid Division of the Economic Cooperation Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 1986, Mr. Yoshikawa was appointed as First Secretary at the Japanese Embassy in the United Kingdom. From 1988 to 1992, he was Energy Advisor and then Counsellor for General Affairs at the Japanese Delegation to the OECD. In 1992, he became Director of the Second International Organisations Division of the Economic Affairs Bureau (division dealing with the OECD) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Then, from 1993 to 1995, he was Director of the United Nations Policy Division of the Foreign Policy Bureau at the Ministry. During this period, he also served as Visiting Professor at Ryukoku University in Kyoto.  From 1995 to 1997, he served as Minister at the Japanese Embassy in Thailand. From 1997 to 2002, he was Minister and subsequently Ambassador for Political Affairs at the Japanese Mission to the United Nations in New York. In 2002, he was named Deputy Director-General of the Economic Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2004 to 2006, he was Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau of the Ministry. Then, from 2006 to 2009, he served as Ambassador to Spain.

From 2009, until his nomination as Permanent Representative of Japan to the OECD,
Ambassador Yoshikawa served as Japan’s first Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He speaks Japanese, English, Spanish and French.

Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa took up his duties as Permanent Representative of Japan to the OECD on 27 July 2010.

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