August 25, 2021 Statement of the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications on Election Result of the Director General of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union

On August 25 (local time), the election for the next Director General of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) was held in Cote d’Ivoire, and Mr. METOKI Masahiko, a Japanese candidate, currently serving as Senior Vice President of Japan Post Co., Ltd., was elected.

It is the first time a Japanese national heads a UN agency since the leave of AMANO Yukiya, who served as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 2009 to 2019. This result can be attributed to the concerted efforts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), and other related organizations.
The UPU is becoming increasingly important as an international organization responsible for building an international postal system to respond to the current surge of international logistics due to the rapid growth of e-commerce. Mr. METOKI has a wealth of experience in the fields of international postal service as well as public administration and diplomacy. We believe that it will greatly serve Japan’s national interest to have such an experienced person as Director General of the UPU, who will play a leading role in promoting fair and open rule-making to support e-commerce and international logistics.
Japan and the UPU have had a longstanding cooperative relationship since 1877. MIC will further deepen this cooperative relationship with the UPU, which Mr. METOKI will lead. MIC will also leverage the knowledge it gained through this election and make further efforts to obtain important positions in international organizations in the future.