Mitoji Yabunaka

Mitoji Yabunaka (薮中 三十二, Yabunaka Mitoji; born 23 January 1948) is a Japanese diplomat who served as Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2008 to 2010.^[1][2] Prior to that position, Yabunaka served as Ministry of Foreign Affair's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau [jp] Director-General.^[3][4] He has been a diplomat for nearly forty years.^[5]

Mitoji Yabunaka
薮中三十二
Mitoji Yabunaka in 2005
Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office 17 January 2008 – 20 August 2010
Preceded by	Shotaro Yachi
Succeeded by	Kenichirō Sasae
Personal details
Born	(1948-01-23) 23 January 1948 (age 77) Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Alma mater	University of Osaka

Diplomacy

Yabunaka was a senior researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies from 1990 to 1991.^[6] In 1998 Yabunaka became Consul General of Japan in Chicago and visited the country on several occasions.^[5]

Yabunaka has represented Japan on a number of occasions and has negotiated trade deals with the United States, Australia and Indonesia.^[7] He has had contact with a number of United States diplomats, including hosting current United States Ambassador to Japan John Roos shortly following Roos' appointment.^[8] During the first, second and third rounds of the Six-party talks, Yabunaka represented Japan as chief delegate.^[9] The Japanese government also sent Yabanuka as a delegate to China to discuss issues of natural gas reserves under the East China Sea.^[10]

He handled Myanmar relations during the Kenji Nagai shooting incident, demanding an investigation and challenging governmental claims.^[11] Yabunaka replaced Toshiyuki Takano as Director General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau in 2002.^[12] In 2008 Yabunaka held talks with South Korean Ambassador Kwon Chul Hyun over disputed islets in the Sea of Japan.^[13]