Yoriko Kawaguchi serves as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs.
Prior to her appointment as Special Assistant, Yoriko Kawaguchi served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from February 2002 through September 2004. She also served as Minister of the Environment from July 2000 through February 2002.
Prior to her appointment to the ministerial positions, she was Managing Director of Suntory Ltd. Since 1993, responsible for procurement, customer relations and environment.
Simultaneously, she served on many Japanese Government advisory boards, such as the Regulatory Reform Committee, the Central Council for Education, and the University Council. She was also on the board of directors of the Japan Center for International Exchange and on the advisory committee of the Center for Global Partnership of the Japan Foundation.
Before joining Suntory Ltd., she worked in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry(MITI) of the Japanese Government. Her past assignments for MITI included Director-General for Global Environmental Affairs. She also had worked for the World Bank as an economist and for the Embassy of Japan in the United States as Minister. B.A. in International Relations, University of Tokyo