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Japan's OECD ambassador appointed as new envoy to EU

Xinhua, July 26, 2016 Adjust font size:

Japan's ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Kazuo Kodama, was appointed by the Japanese government Tuesday to be its new envoy to the European Union.

The appointment of Kodama, 63, which comes into effect immediately, follows the departure of Keiichi Katakami from his post as Japan's EU envoy last month, as Katakami was promoted to the position of deputy foreign minister in charge of economic affairs.

Kodama, a veteran envoy, took up his duties as permanent representative of Japan to the OECD in 2013 and prior to that had held a number of positions at overseas embassies and consulates and in foreign-based PR bureaus for Japan.

Between 2003 to 2006, Kodama served as Deputy Director-General of the Economic Cooperation Bureau and of the Asian and Oceania Affairs Bureau and in 2006, was appointed Consul-General of Japan in Los Angeles.

From 2008 to 2010, he held the title of Press Secretary and Director-General for Press and Public Relations within the Minister's Secretariat and in 2010, was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations.

Born in 1953, the University of Tokyo graduate also holds both a BA and Master's degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford.

His career was launched in 1976 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here. Enditem