Japan Appoints Another 'Chinaschool' Graduate as Next Ambassador to China

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] According to a report by Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the 10th, the Japanese government has decided to appoint a 'China School' alumnus who is proficient in Chinese and has extensive experience in China as the new ambassador to China, scheduled to be replaced within this year.

According to the report, the Japanese government has nominated Darumi Hideo (59), former Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Cabinet Secretariat, as the successor to the current ambassador to China, Yokoi Yutaka (65), who assumed office in 2016. The appointment will be finalized after the Cabinet meeting.

Former Director-General Darumi, along with current ambassador Yokoi, is an alumnus of the China School, a Chinese language training group within the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After graduating from Kyoto University Faculty of Law in March 1985, Darumi began his public service career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has built his career as a China expert by repeatedly working in China and Taiwan, including serving as Second Secretary at the Embassy of Japan in China during the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989.

In 2008, he served as Director of the China and Mongolia Division, and from 2011 to 2013, he was Minister at the Embassy of Japan in China. During his tenure as Minister, the issue of Japan's nationalization of the Senkaku Islands (known as Diaoyutai Islands in Chinese) arose in 2012. He also worked at the Taipei Office of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association from 2016 to 2018. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs executive evaluated, "He is not only well-versed in internal Chinese affairs but is also expected to take a strict stance toward China."

Nihon Keizai Shimbun stated, "As US-China conflicts deepen, Japan will have to make difficult decisions between its ally, the United States, and its largest trading partner, China," and evaluated former Director-General Darumi as a suitable candidate due to his excellent abilities in collecting and analyzing Chinese intelligence.