Born in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, in 1965, he graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo in 1988 and joined the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism). There, he worked in international affairs, aviation, and parliamentary affairs. During this period, he earned a Master of Science in Development Studies from the University of Bath (U.K.) and a Master of Science in Tourism and Travel Management from New York University (U.S.A.). In 2008, he was appointed Director of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) New York Office. Over the following 12 years, he held various tourism-related leadership roles, including Director of the International Exchange Promotion Division at the Japan Tourism Agency (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism), Director of the Overseas Promotion Department at JNTO, and a secondment to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). He also served as Acting Chairman of JNTO. In 2021, he retired from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism after serving as Director-General of the Tohoku Regional Transport Bureau. He has held his current position since 2024. During his time at the Japan Tourism Agency and JNTO, he contributed to the recovery of inbound tourism following the Great East Japan Earthquake. At the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), where he served as an Advisor for Tourism, Sports, and Mega Events, he authored the following three key reports: “Maximising the Benefits of Mega Events for Tourism,” “Walking Tourism – Promoting Regional Development,” “Sports Tourism and Sustainable Development Goals.”