GSIEF Dean Petri has announced that GSIEF's Commencement Speaker will be Mr. Yutaka Kawashima, until recently Japan's most senior diplomat as Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Educated at Tokyo University and Trinity College in Cambridge, Mr. Kawashima is widely respected in international policy circles and has served in Asia, Europe, and the United States. He was posted to South Vietnam at the time of the Vietnam War and to South Korea during the tensions of the early 1990s. Prior to becoming Vice-Minister, Mr Kawashima was the Ambassador of Japan to Israel.

Mr. Kawashima's address will be delivered at the School's graduation ceremony, which takes place just prior to the University's main ceremony, on May 26, 8:00 a.m. in the Silver Auditorium in the Sachar International Center.

Mr. Kawashima's daughter, Mio, graduated in the Lemberg Class of '94. Members of the Brandeis community are welcome to join the ceremony.

Mr. Kawashima was Vice-Minister from 1997 until 2001. His earlier posts include Ambassador of Japan to Israel (1997); Director-General, Foreign Policy Bureau (1995); Director-General, Asian Affairs Bureau (1994); Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan in Seoul (1992); Deputy Director-General of the North American Affairs Bureau (1991); Head of Chancellery, Embassy of Japan in London (1985); First Secretary of Political Section, Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C. (1978-1981); and Deputy Director, Korean Affairs Division, Asian Affairs Bureau (1976-1978).