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[PAST EVENT] "Diplomacy as a Vocation" Talk by Mr. Koichi Ai, Minister of the Embassy of Japan

December 8, 2022
5pm - 6:30pm
Location
Washington Hall, Room 301
241 Jamestown Rd
Williamsburg, VA 23185Map this location
Access & Features
  • Open to the public

Please join us on Thursday, December 8, at 5:00, in Washington 301, for the final event of our Fall Japanese Studies Lecture Series, a talk by Mr. Koichi Ai, of the Embassy of Japan. Mr. Ai has served as the Minister and Head of Chancery of the Embassy since June 2021. Since September 1, 2022, he also heads the Public Affairs Ministry. Mr. Ai joined the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1989. He has served in such oversea posts as Ottawa (2002), Jakarta (2005), New York (2013), and Paris (2018) before coming to Washington. In Paris, he was the Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the OECD for three years and served on the Executive Committee of the Organization as its Vice Chair. His wide-ranging diplomatic experience covers trade negotiations with both the U.S. and the E.U. as well as long term strategic planning of Japan’s foreign policy. A six-year assignment as an official English interpreter for Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers earlier in his career gave him unique perspectives on high-level diplomacy. Minister Ai will draw from this vast and varied experience as he speaks on "Diplomacy as a Vocation." Please join us for the unique opportunity to learn about the important work of diplomacy in today's world.