Who is in the Embassy

The New Zealand Ambassador to Japan

Ian Kennedy, a career diplomat, is New Zealand’s current Ambassador to Japan.

Mr Kennedy has served twice previously in Japan from 1977 – 1980 and from 1986 -1991. He is fluent in Japanese and has written a book on Japanese/New Zealand relations. From 1996-1999 Mr Kennedy was New Zealand’s Ambassador to Turkey, concurrently also New Zealand’s Ambassador to Israel and Jordan, and from 2004 – 2007, he was New Zealand’s Deputy High Commissioner to Australia.

In Wellington he was most recently Director of the Information and Public Affairs Division. Mr Kennedy has also served in the North Asia, Pacific, External Aid, Economic, Defence and Personnel Divisions, and undertaken secondments to the New Zealand Treasury and the Institute of Policy Studies at Victoria University.

Ambassador Kennedy was educated at the University of Canterbury where he received a BA in Mathematics and an MCom in Economics.

He is married to Setsuko Kennedy from Yokohama. They have one son, Takashi. His interests include hiking, music and sport. Mr Kennedy was a schools and under 21 provincial representative in cricket, hockey, football and golf.