Two Ambassadors dismissed and Minister Kihara's acting foreign affairs role ended

In the “Personnel Changes” section (Cabinet) of the Official Gazette dated November 5, Reiwa 8, the government dismissed Kazutoshi Aikawa and Katsuya Watanabe, both Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, on the grounds that they were “relieved of their posts upon their own request.” The same section also listed the personnel change relieving State Minister Minoru Kihara of his designation as the Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs. Both were announced in the Official Gazette as Cabinet personnel appointments following a Cabinet meeting and became externally finalized as of the date of publication.

The Personnel Changes section of the Official Gazette is a system based on the public notification of the appointment, dismissal, conferment of rank, and concurrent posts of national public servants, where the Cabinet compiles and publishes personnel changes from various ministries and agencies. A notable feature of this instance is that the voluntary resignations of two ambassadors and the termination of a State Minister’s acting duties appeared side-by-side in the Cabinet section, reflecting an overlap between the autumn personnel rotations for overseas diplomatic missions and the schedule of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs leadership.

The post of Minister for Foreign Affairs is currently held by Toshimitsu Motegi, and the acting representative in his absence is designated from among the State Ministers based on Article 10 of the Cabinet Law. This article provides regulations for the acting representation of duties when a State Minister is incapacitated or the post is vacant; both the designation and the termination are recorded as personnel changes in the Official Gazette.

Two Ambassadors Relieved of Posts as of October 30

The details of the dismissals published in the Official Gazette are as follows:

• Kazutoshi Aikawa (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary) = “Relieved of post upon own request”
• Katsuya Watanabe (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary) = “Relieved of post upon own request”
• The notation for the reason is “each as stated,” meaning the two individuals were listed collectively.
• The effective date of the order is October 30.

Dismissal upon request is a retirement based on the individual’s own application and is distinguished from the expiration of a term or mandatory retirement age. As ambassadors serve as heads of overseas diplomatic missions responsible for diplomatic negotiations with the receiving state and the protection of Japanese nationals residing there, the duties of the mission are taken over by the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim until a successor is appointed.

State Minister Kihara Relieved as Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs

In the same Cabinet section, a personnel change was listed for State Minister Minoru Kihara, stating: “Due to the return of Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi to Japan, the designation as the State Minister who temporarily performs the duties of the Minister for Foreign Affairs pursuant to the provisions of Article 10 of the Cabinet Law is hereby revoked.” It had been publicized in the Official Gazette personnel changes dated November 4 that Mr. Kihara had been designated as the State Minister to act on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs as of October 29 during Mr. Motegi’s absence on an overseas trip. With this revocation, the acting system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has returned to its normal state.

Successive Changes of Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Continue Since Autumn

In the Personnel Changes section of the Official Gazette, the voluntary resignations of Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary have been publicized intermittently since autumn.

• Toshiro Odagiri = October 2
• Jun Nagashima = October 6
• Kazuyoshi Matsunaga = October 16
• Kazutoshi Aikawa and Katsuya Watanabe = October 30

Both carry the identical reason for dismissal, “relieved of duty upon request,” indicating that overseas personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are being replaced in short succession. Since the appointment and dismissal of Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary require the consent (agrément) of the receiving state, the appointment of successors involves a preparatory period prior to the announcement in the Official Gazette.

The retirement of the two ambassadors and the termination of the acting appointment for the Minister for Foreign Affairs are official personnel records that take effect upon publication in the Official Gazette. As the change of heads of overseas diplomatic missions directly impacts bilateral negotiations, the protection of Japanese nationals residing abroad, and the coordination of high-level visits, the public announcement of the successor ambassadors’ appointments will be the next point of focus.

Source: Official Gazette (November 5, 2026, Main Paper) “Personnel Changes” Cabinet / Published by the National Printing Bureau (Independent Administrative Institution) - Official Gazette Publication, https://www.kanpo.go.jp/20261105/20261105h01822/pdf/20261105h018220007.pdf