Nobukatsu Kanehara

Nobukatsu Kanehara served as Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe from 2012 to 2019. In 2013, he also became the inaugural Deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Secretariat, a role which he held until his retirement from government service in 2019. Kanehara also served as Deputy Director of the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kanehara served in a number of notable positions, including the Director-General of Bureau of International Law, Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Policy Bureau, Ambassador in charge of the United Nations and Human Rights, as well as served abroad as Deputy Chief of Mission in Seoul, Republic of Korea and Minister at the Embassy of Japan in Washington.

He was decorated by the president of Republic of France with Ordre de la Legion d’Honneur.