March 11th and Beyond, by Ambassador Keiichi Hayashi

In this special lecture, seven months after the 11^th of March earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Ambassador Hayashi examined the impact of the disaster and Japan’s progress in the reconstruction effort to help rebuild the lives of people in the affected areas. He also discussed the attempts being made by Japanese companies to re-establish supply chains and to deal with power shortages. Looking beyond the immediate aftermath, Ambassador Hayashi considered how these events have influenced relationships with neighbouring countries and the path that Japan should pursue in the future.

His Excellency the Japanese Ambassador, Mr Keiichi Hayashi, graduated from Kyoto University in  1974 before entering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Hayashi’s overseas postings include Moscow and Washington. In Tokyo, from 1991 to 1993, he was Director of the Second Southeast Asia Division in the Asian Affairs Bureau. He has served in a number of positions in the Treaties Bureau, including Director of the Treaties Division (1993-1996), Deputy Director-General (2000-2002) and Director General (2002-2004). He spent three years at the Embassy of Japan in London (1996-1998), first as Counsellor and subsequently as Minister. In recent years, he has served as the Ambassador to Ireland (2005-2008), in Tokyo as the Deputy Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs (2008), and as the Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (2008-2010). He was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the UK in January 2011.