KUNIHIKO HIRABAYASHI IS ASEAN-JAPAN CENTRE SECRETARY GENERAL

Mr. Kunihiko Hirabayashi, the Secretary General of the AJC (Photo: Business Wire)

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 (Bernama) -- The ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC) has announced the appointment of Kunihiko Hirabayashi as Secretary General of the AJC in Tokyo, as of Sept 1.

Hirabayashi is the former Regional Advisor Regional Chief of Health, UNICEF East Asian and Pacific Regional Office, Bangkok, Thailand, having worked as technical adviser and representative of regional offices for United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for more than 18 years from May 2003 to August this year.

Prior to that, he engaged in technical assistance in hospitals in developing countries for around 10 years. He obtained Ph.D. in Physiology and Medicine from the University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.

Hirabayashi devoted much of his four-decade long professional life in the best interests of people and children in Asia-Pacific and ASEAN countries, listening to among others, decision makers, health professionals, business and community leaders and displaced persons, refugees and people with disabilities.

In a statement, he said: “The ASEAN-Japan Centre has a 40-year history of excellence in serving as a bridge between ASEAN Members States and Japan to promote trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

“With my trusted colleagues, I will play an integral role in re-engineering the Centre and will commit myself to contributing toward a sustainable, integrated, peaceful and stable future for people in ASEAN Member States and Japan.”

An inter-governmental organisation established by the ASEAN Member States and Japan in 1981, AJC has been promoting exports from ASEAN to Japan while revitalising investment, tourism as well as people-to-people exchanges between the ASEAN Member States and Japan.

-- BERNAMA