Shunji Yanai ( ja, 柳井俊二) (born 15 January, 1937 in Tokio) is a Japanese politician who served as ambassador to the United States from 1999 until 2001. Yanai entered the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The enti ...

in 1961, and studied at the

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. The French university traces its history to the ...

while in France. He was director of the Treaties Bureau during 1991. He served as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1997 until 1999. He then became ambassador to the United States, and served in the position until 2001. He was removed from his post due to a scandal involving bureaucrats in the Foreign Ministry. In 2005, he became a judge in the

International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(ITLS). On 1 October 2011, he was elected to succeed José Luís Jesus as President of the ITLS for a three-year term. As part of its strategy of not recognizing the

Philippines v. China ''Philippines v. China'' ( PCA case number 2013–19), also known as the South China Sea Arbitration, was an arbitration case brought by the Republic of the Philippines against the People's Republic of China (PRC) under Annex VII of the United ...

case, China accused him of manipulating the tribunal's composition. He headed an advisory panel on Japanese self-defence during both of

Shinzō Abe Shinzo Abe ( ; ja, 安倍晋三, Hepburn: , ; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 202 ...

's terms as prime minister. The panel consisted of thirteen security experts, and was concerned with amendments to

Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution is a clause in the national Constitution of Japan outlawing war as a means to settle international disputes involving the state. The Constitution came into effect on 3 May 1947, following World War II. In its text, the state formally renounces t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yanai, Shuni Ambassadors of Japan to the United States Japanese judges of United Nations courts and tribunals Foreign ministers of Japan Living people 1937 births