Biography
Shigeo Iwatani is the former Secretary-General of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat in Seoul, Korea.
Mr. Iwatani is a foreign policy expert with 40-years experience in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan which covers a wide range of diplomatic and political negotiations in areas such as immigration, security, bilateral and multilateral agreements, environmental issues and science and technology. He has Extensive knowledge of East Asia, Asian interaction within Asia as well as with Europe, Africa and North America.
He joined MOFA in 1973. At first, he had two years of learning at Swarthmore College in the U.S., and then worked at the head office of MOFA (in charge of the Law of the Sea Conference, Indonesia and Burma, GATT affairs and ODA policy and budget) and at two foreign posts (Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations (in charge of African affairs and decolonization) and Embassy of Japan in Indonesia (in charge of economic affairs and ASEAN affairs)). Since 1989 he experienced various managerial posts in charge of such issues as ODA loan to Indonesia, Scientific Affairs, economic relation with Germany, cultural relations with the People’s Republic of China, immigration policy and consular affairs, abandoned chemical weapons in China, and Japan-Germany relations. Finally he was appointed as Consul-General of Japan in Hawaii (2005-07), Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan in Kenya (2007-10) and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan in Austria (2010-2013).
After retiring MOFA in 2013 he assumed the post of Secretary-General of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (China-Japan-Korea), based in Seoul for two years.
He graduated from Hitotsubashi University (BA in Law) and is married with two children.
Mr. Iwatani is a foreign policy expert with 40-years experience in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan which covers a wide range of diplomatic and political negotiations in areas such as immigration, security, bilateral and multilateral agreements, environmental issues and science and technology. He has Extensive knowledge of East Asia, Asian interaction within Asia as well as with Europe, Africa and North America.
He joined MOFA in 1973. At first, he had two years of learning at Swarthmore College in the U.S., and then worked at the head office of MOFA (in charge of the Law of the Sea Conference, Indonesia and Burma, GATT affairs and ODA policy and budget) and at two foreign posts (Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations (in charge of African affairs and decolonization) and Embassy of Japan in Indonesia (in charge of economic affairs and ASEAN affairs)). Since 1989 he experienced various managerial posts in charge of such issues as ODA loan to Indonesia, Scientific Affairs, economic relation with Germany, cultural relations with the People’s Republic of China, immigration policy and consular affairs, abandoned chemical weapons in China, and Japan-Germany relations. Finally he was appointed as Consul-General of Japan in Hawaii (2005-07), Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan in Kenya (2007-10) and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan in Austria (2010-2013).
After retiring MOFA in 2013 he assumed the post of Secretary-General of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (China-Japan-Korea), based in Seoul for two years.
He graduated from Hitotsubashi University (BA in Law) and is married with two children.
