Yasumasa Nagamine (''Nagamine Yasumasa''; born April 16, 1954) is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

jurist who has served as an associate justice of the

Supreme Court of Japan The , located in Hayabusachō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, is the Supreme court, highest court in Japan. It has ultimate judicial authority to interpret the Constitution of Japan, Japanese constitution and decide questions of national law. It ...

since 2021.

Education and career

Nagamine was born on April 16, 1954, in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. He attended the

University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

and graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences in 1977. He served as a career officer in the

Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs The is an executive department of the Government of Japan, and is responsible for the country's foreign policy and international relations. The ministry was established by the second term of the third article of the National Government Organi ...

and ambassador for over 40 years before his appointment to the Supreme Court. Specifically, he served in the following roles: * 1977-1992: officer in Foreign Affairs Ministry * 1992-1995: Counsellor (adviser) in the Cabinet Legislation Bureau of the Prime Minister's Office * 1995-1996: Director of the Western Europe Division of the European Affairs Bureau, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs * 1996-1998: Director of the Legal Affairs Division, Treaties Bureau (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) * 1998-2001: Officer in the Embassy of Japan in India * 2001: Ambassador to India * 2002-2004: Deputy Director-General of the North American Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs * 2004–2006, 2010-2012: Deputy Director-General of the International Legal Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs * 2006-2007: Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs * 2007-2010: Consul-General to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

(

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

) * 2012-2013: Ambassador to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

* 2013-2016: Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs * 2016-2019: Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (South Korea)https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/South-Korean-ministers-snub-meeting-with-Japanese-ambassador2 (On the website of the Supreme Court, it is listed as Ambassador to Korea. However, Japan only recognizes South Korea and has no diplomatic relations with North Korea.) * 2019-2021: Ambassador to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

https://www.courts.go.jp/english/about/justice/NAGAMINE/index.html

Supreme Court

On February 8, 2021, Nagamine was appointed to the Supreme Court of Japan. In Japan, justices are formally nominated by the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

(at that time,

Naruhito is the current Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era, following the abdication of his father, Akihito. He is the 126th monarch according to Japan's traditional order of succession. ...

) but in reality the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

chooses the nominees and the Emperor's role is a formality. Nagamine's term is scheduled to end on April 15, 2024 (one day before he turns 70). This is because all members of the court have a mandatory retirement age of 70.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagamine, Yasumasa 1954 births Living people Japanese jurists Ambassadors of Japan to South Korea