Koji Tomita

Ambassador Tomita’s diplomatic career in the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spanned more than 40 years. Before becoming Japan’s Ambassador to the United States, he served as Ambassador to Israel and the Republic of Korea, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Personal Representative for the G20 Summit in Osaka. Upon completing his duties in Washington DC, he formally retired from Foreign Service in December 2023.

Apart from his overseas duties, which also included London and Singapore, his main professional focus was on security policy, having been actively involved in the policy and legislative reviews that the Japanese Government undertook in the area in recent years, including Japan’s Legislation for Peace and Security that has increased Japan’s deterrence.

His relationship with the United States began when he studied in North Carolina for a year in college. Since he entered MOFA, he held leadership positions in US-Japan relations, including Director-General of MOFA’s North American Affairs Bureau and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, DC. In these capacities, he led the Japanese efforts to strengthen the Japan-US alliance and to promote mutual understanding between the two nations.

Ambassador Tomita writes in his spare time and has published two books (in Japanese): Churchill: Leadership in Crisis and Margaret Thatcher: Iron Lady Who Changed Politics. The latter won the Yamamoto Shichihei Award.

Ambassador Tomita graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law, and joined Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1981. He is married to Noriko, and they have two daughters and a son.