Election for the Next Secretary-General of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) (Election of a Candidate from Japan)

April 20, 2010
Japanese

In the election of new Secretary-General for the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) held on April 20, Mr. Ryuichiro Yamazaki was elected as the 9th APO Secretary-General. Mr. Yamazaki became a candidate supported by Japan after being selected by open recruitment. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1967, after which he served as Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ambassador for International Trade and Economy, and Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam and the Philippines.
The election took place during the APO 52nd Governing Body Meeting which was held from April 20 to 22 in Malaysia, as the current Secretary-General's term would end in September 2010. No other member countries supported candidates, so the election was an approval of Mr. Yamazaki by the other member countries. Along with unanimous approval of Mr. Yamazaki as next Secretary-General, strong expectations were expressed for his ample experience in the fields of diplomacy and economics. Mr. Yamazaki is scheduled to assume the office on September 16, and his term of office is three years.
The APO was established in 1961 with the purpose of improving Asian countries’ productivity in the fields of industry, agriculture, and others. The Head Office of the APO is located in Japan. Japan is the largest donor, and has cooperated with the APO to work towards increasing productivity in Asia. Japan intends to further deepen cooperation with the APO in the future.

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