Takio Yamada is the Executive Director of the Center for Global Outreach (CGO) at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA). He concurrently serves as Ambassador in charge of the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC). A career diplomat, he has served as Japan’s inaugural Ambassador to ASEAN, Ambassador to UNESCO, and Ambassador to Vietnam, as well as Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department and International Cooperation Bureau. 

Ambassador Yamada holds degrees from Kyoto University and the University of Oxford. His expertise spans Japanese diplomacy, Indo-Pacific regional security, ASEAN relations, and regional energy transition.