Sadako Ogata

Sadako Ogata
緒方 貞子
Sadako Ogata at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012
President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency
In office
October 2003 – April 2012
Succeeded by Akihiko Tanaka
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
In office
1991–2001
Preceded by Thorvald Stoltenberg
Succeeded by Ruud Lubbers
Personal details
Born 中村 貞子 (Nakamura Sadako)
16 September 1927
Tokyo, Japan
Alma mater University of the Sacred Heart
Georgetown University
Religion Roman Catholicism
Sadako Ogata at the World Economic Forum in 1993

Sadako Ogata (緒方 貞子 Ogata Sadako, born 16 September 1927), is a Japanese academic, diplomat, author, administrator and professor emeritus at Sophia University.[1] She served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as the Chairman of the UNICEF Executive Board and as the President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Early life

Sadako Nakamura was born on 16 September 1927[2] to a diplomat father. Her mother was the daughter of Foreign Minister Kenkichi Yoshizawa and granddaughter of Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi, who was assassinated when Sadako was four years old, and was influenced by his liberal political attitude.

She attended the Catlin Gabel School, class of 1946, and graduated from University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo, before studying at Georgetown University and its Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. She was awarded a PhD in political science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1963. She later taught international politics at Sophia University.[3]

Family

Sadako Nakamura married banker Shijuro Ogata (1927-2014), who had a long career at the Bank of Japan.[3]

Diplomat

Sadako Ogata served from 1978-79 as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary at the permanent mission of Japan to the United Nations. She represented Japan at several sessions of the General Assembly — in 1970, and from 1976-79.[3]

She served as the Chairman of the UNICEF Executive Board from 1978–79, and as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 1991 until 2001. She was appointed as the president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency on 1 October 2003 and retired in April 2012 to be succeeded by Akihiko Tanaka.

Honors

Japanese decorations

Other

Other

Ms Ogata is an Eminent Member of the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation.

Quotes

Notes

  1. ↑ Wessels, David et al. (1996). "Sadako Ogata" in Women in Law: a Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook, p. 222., p. 222, at Google Books
  2. ↑ Wessels, p. 219., p. 219, at Google Books
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wessels, p. 221., p. 221, at Google Books
  4. ↑ "Cultural Highlights; From the Japanese Press (1 August – 31 October 2001)", Japan Foundation Newsletter, Vol. XXIX, No. 2, p. 7.
  5. ↑ "Sadako Ogata receives Japan's Order of Culture," International Nursing Review (2004 March), Vol. 51, No. 1, p. 12.
  6. ↑ "Orden Mexicana del Águila Azteca a ciudadanos Japoneses" (in Spanish). Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  7. ↑ Liberty Medal acceptance speech, 4 July 1995

References

External links

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