TOKYO -- Japan's longest-serving top career diplomat in the post-war era, Takeo Akiba, who was once called upon to make breakthroughs with North Korea and China, became the new head of the National Security Secretariat on Wednesday, a position where he will be asked to thaw currently chilled relations with a slew of neighbors.
Akiba, 62, who served as vice foreign minister for more than three years, the country's top career diplomatic position, earned the nicknamed "Mr. Diplomat" both within and outside of the ministry.
But despite serving in several top Foreign Ministry positions through the years, like heading its Treaties Division, where Akiba really shone was winning some actual achievements on the diplomatic frontlines.
In 2002, then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was secretly preparing for a trip to North Korea. Akiba was not initially part of the team accompanying him to the rogue state. But he volunteered to go, and drafted the historic Japan-North Korea Pyongyang Declaration, which led to North Korea admitting to the abduction of Japanese citizens, during the trip.
He became head of the China Division in 2006, defying an unspoken rule within the ministry that the post go to someone from the "China school" -- diplomats who received Chinese language training. The appointment was backed by then Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi, who would go on to become the inaugural director of the National Security Secretariat.
Akiba helped organize former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's trip to China, which was widely dubbed an ice-breaking mission, contributing to a thaw in bilateral relations. He was also involved in developing the idea of a "mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests," a core concept in Japan's relations with China.
He also renamed the division the China and Mongolia Division, convincing China school diplomats of the importance of the country nestled between Beijing and Moscow.
Akiba has made few enemies throughout his career and has won the trust of lawmakers from ruling and opposition parties alike, allowing him to remain in key positions through changes in government. "Everything will turn out OK if we put Akiba in charge," one lawmaker said.
"What was a given five years ago is no longer a given today -- what was a given 10 years ago even less so," Akiba said at a speech on June 22 as he stepped down as vice foreign minister.
The U.S. now considers China its one and only rival, shifting away from the engagement-focused approach from the 1970s. As Japan's national security adviser, Akiba will need to find the right balance between the U.S. and China while searching for a breakthrough in the diplomatic stalemate with North and South Korea. With a diplomatic relations between Japan and its neighbors now in a deep freeze, Akiba's ice-breaking skills will be called on again.
As a student, Akiba was an avid soccer player, and was even chosen to represent Kanagawa Prefecture while attending Eiko Gakuen high school. The school, which had numerous foreign faculty members, also inspired his career in diplomacy.