Minister Takehiro Shimada was appointed Minister for Communications and Cultural Affairs of the Japanese Embassy in the United States in August 2017, making this his second post on the Cultural Affairs team in the U.S. Prior to his assignment in Washington, served as the Director of the Japanese Policy Planning Division for the Headquarters for the Abduction Issue, Cabinet Secretariat. Since joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has served in the areas of international peace cooperation, Chinese and Mongolian Affairs, and foreign policy. Beyond cultural affairs, his experience extends to both economic and political affairs.Minister Shimada graduated from Keio University in 1991 with a B.A. in Law. He is married with two daughters, one of whom is a student at University of Pennsylvania. He is an avid baseball fan and his hobbies include swimming, golf, and gardening.