website birth_place birth_date signature image article_title name
-lsb- http://www.unu.edu/council/members/matsuura.html un profile -rsb- yamaguchi prefecture , japan 29 september 1937 koichiro matsuura signature 2005.jpg koichiro presidenciagovar - 29mar07.jpg matsuura -lrb- unesco -rrb- -lrb- 2 -rrb- - kōichirō matsuura
 kōichirō matsuura
kōichirō matsuura

he studied law at the university of tokyo and economics at haverford college -lrb- pennsylvania , usa -rrb- and began his diplomatic career in 1959 .
posts held by mr matsuura include those of director-general of the economic co-operation bureau of japan 's ministry of foreign affairs -lrb- 1988 -rrb- ; director-general of the north american affairs bureau , ministry of foreign affairs -lrb- 1990 -rrb- ; and deputy minister for foreign affairs -lrb- 1992 -- 1994 -rrb- .
he was japan 's ambassador to france from 1994 to 1999 .
after one year as the chairperson of unesco 's world heritage committee , he became unesco 's ninth director-general on 12 november 1999 .
