Shinichi Kihara was appointed in July 2023 as the Director General for International Policy on Carbon Neutrality.

Mr. Kihara has rich experience in the area of international energy / climate policy. He served as Deputy Director General for Environmental Affairs in 2021, and took the lead for the G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment in Sapporo. He served as Deputy Commissioner for International Affairs at Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) in 2020. He served as Director for International Affairs at ANRE in 2012, when he led the work for the G7 Kitakyushu Energy Ministerial in 2016. He was also involved in energy related work including the International Affairs Division in 2004 and Nuclear Power Safety Administration Division in 1998.

Mr. Kihara served as Senior Energy Analyst at the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris in 2009. He contributed to the flagship publication World Energy Outlook.

Mr. Kihara joined METI in 1993, He has diverse experience serving various offices in the METI, including Director for Policy Planning and Coordination Division of Trade Policy Bureau , Director for Middle East and Africa Division and Americas Division. His experience also covers the area of economic cooperation, export control and others.

Mr. Kihara earned a Bachelor of Economics from University of Tokyo in 1993. He earned an MBA in 1998 from Cornell University, USA.