Jun'ichi Ihara

Junichi Ihara (伊原 純一, Ihara Jun'ichi, born 18 April 1956) is a Japanese diplomat who served as Grand Master of Ceremonies for the Imperial Household from 2023 to 2026. He previously served as Ambassador to France and as Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Geneva.

Biography Ihara was born on 18 April 1956. He grew up in Kyoto and studied law at Kyoto University. After graduating in 1979, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After joining he was assigned to France for four years to receive French language training. During that period he once accompanied Crown Prince Akihito as an interpreter during a tour of African states for a week. He was selected on 7 March 2018.

In December 2019, Ihara was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to France. He served in this position until October 2022, when he retired from the Ministry. In March of the following year he was appointed Grand Master of Ceremonies. He stepped down in January 2026.