Dr. Yosuke Kita has over a decade of experience in public and global health. Before joining MOFA, he was senior coordinator for Global Health at Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, where he led the COVID-19 response on the Diamond Princess cruise ship. He was also Counsellor at Japan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, where he negotiated health agendas such as universal health coverage and pandemic preparedness, and facilitated discussions on population issues as Vice-Chair of the 57th UN Commission on Population and Development.