Albert Hupperts took up the post of Belgian ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary in Japan in December 1962. He was succeeded by Fredegand Cogels in December 1968, but Hupperts resumed the post in May 1972. During their terms as ambassador, Japan took center stage with the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and the World Expo in Osaka (1970). During the 1970s and 1980s, the Belgian ambassadors R. Dooreman (1974–77), Herman Dehennin (1978–1981), J. Verwilghen (1981–85) and Marcel Depasse (1985–88) witnessed the strong growth of the Japanese economy, despite two oil shocks in the 1970s.