Shigeki Sumi
Adviser
Ambassador Shigeki Sumi is a distinguished diplomat who held major posts at the United Nations and in Ukraine, with a strong focus on global peacebuilding, human rights, and diplomacy. Currently an academic and researcher, he continues to shape public understanding of international cooperation and Ukraine’s place in global affairs.
Biography
Shigeki Sumi (Japanese: 隅繁樹) is a distinguished Japanese diplomat and academic with a career spanning over four decades. He has held prominent positions in international diplomacy and academia, with a focus on human rights, peace cooperation, and global governance.
Education
1977: Graduated from Hitotsubashi University with a Bachelor of Commerce.
1980: Graduated from Oxford University.
Career Highlights
1977: Joined the Japanese Foreign Service.
2003: Chief Negotiator for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Director, Global Fund for AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis.
2005: Ambassador to the Vienna International Organization.
2008: Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations.
2011: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Bahrain.
2014–2019: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Ukraine.
Current Positions
Visiting Professor at Tamagawa University, Iwate University, and Asahi University.
Adjunct Researcher at Sophia University.
Publications
"The Self-Defense Forces' Assistance to Rwandan Refugees," Diplomacy Forum (March 1995).
"Introduction to Peace Cooperation," Yuhikaku Sensho (August 1995).
"The Road to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities," Normalization 24(7) (July 2004).
"The Invasion of Ukraine and the Russian Orthodox Church," Kawade Yume Shinsho (August 2022).