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hisashi owada international court of justice belfer center for science and international affairs graham allison
Judge Hisashi Owada was appointed to the International Court of Justice in The Hague in early 2003. His career defines the nexus between law and international affairs, not just at the ICJ, but in senior positions in the Japanese Foreign Ministry, as well as through academia and as President of the Japan Institute of International Affairs and Senior Advisor to the President of the World Bank.
Ambassador Hisashi Owada is one of Japan's most respected diplomats. During his career in the Japanese Foreign Ministry, he held the jobs of Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations (1994-98) and to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (1988-89), Private Secretary to the Foreign Minister and to the Prime Minister, Director-General of the Treaties Bureau (Principal Legal Advisor), Deputy Minister and Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs.
In the academic field as a professor of international law and organization, Judge Owada has taught at Toko University since 1963, and at the law schools of Harvard University, Columbis University, and New York University. He is a member of the Institut de Droit International, and is the author of numerous writings on international, legal and political affairs, including "Japanese Practice in the Field of International Law"(1984), "From Involvement to Engagement - New Foreign Policy Directions of Japan"(1994) and "Diplomacy"(1996).