Tuesday, 19 May 2025, Munich, Free State of Bavaria, Germany: Minister of State, Dr. Florian Herrmann received the Ambassador of Japan, Shino Mitsuko, for talks at the State Chancellery. She was accompanied by the Nipponese General Consul in Bavaria, Bessho Kenichi.
Minister of State Dr. Florian Herrmann: “Bavaria and Japan share a close partnership—economically, politically, and culturally. Around 8,400 Japanese nationals live in the Free State; 14 town twinning agreements and over 150 university partnerships bear witness to this strong spirit of cooperation. Together, we are shaping the future through close collaboration in the technology sector, as well as in science and research.”
Ambassador Shino was born on 24 July 1963 and has served as Japan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Germany since 22 November 2024, capping a diplomatic career spanning nearly four decades and three continents.
A graduate of Hitotsubashi University, Shino joined Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in April 1987. Her early postings took her across Europe, beginning with a position as First Secretary at the Japanese Embassy in Germany in 2000, followed by a similar role in Poland in 2003, where she was promoted to Counsellor the following year. Returning to Tokyo in 2006, she took on responsibilities in economic diplomacy as Senior Coordinator in the Economic Partnership Division and Director of the APEC Division, before heading the ministry’s Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Division in 2008.
The next decade saw her rise through a series of senior diplomatic posts. She served at the Japanese Embassy in Italy, first as Counsellor from 2010 and then as Minister from 2013, before receiving her first ambassadorial appointment in 2014 as Japan’s Ambassador to Iceland. In 2016, she moved to Geneva as Ambassador to Japan’s Permanent Mission, and in 2018, returned to Tokyo as Deputy Press Secretary at MOFA.
Shino’s profile rose further in 2019, when she was named Assistant Minister and Director-General for Cultural Affairs, as well as Ambassador in charge of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In 2021, she became Chief of Protocol with ambassadorial rank, and in 2022, she was appointed Deputy Permanent Representative at Japan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, before taking up her current role in Berlin.
Ambassador Shino is fluent in Japanese, English, German, and French. She is married and has two children.
For further information
Bavarian State Chancellery: https://www.bayern.de/buergerservice/mediathek/?kat=%5B3%2C2%5D&pagi=1&maxpagi=613&sb=Mitsuko+Shino&d1=Datum+von&d2=Datum+bis&filter_fotos=on&filter_videos=on#
Embassy of Japan in Germany: https://www.de.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_de/index.html
Consulate General of Japan in Bavaria: https://www.muenchen.de.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_de/gk_grusswort.html
