Motoatsu Sakurai

(born May 24, 1944) is a Japanese businessman, a corporate executive in the private and public sectors, a diplomat, and president of the Japan Society in New York.

After graduating from Tokyo University Faculty of Law in 1968, he entered Mitsubishi Corporation (MC). During the course of his early work at MC, he received an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France in May 1976. In the late 1970s, he spent four years with the World Bank and its affiliate, the International Finance Corporation, in Washington, D.C., working with Francophone countries in Africa.

Mitsubishi executive In the mid- to late-1980s, Sakurai served in several senior managerial capacities for Mitsubishi International Corporation (MIC) in New York and Washington, D.C. In 1995, after returning to Tokyo, he was named general manager of corporate planning and in 1998, general manager for regional strategy and coordination. By 2000, he rose to executive vice president. In April, 2003, he was named president and CEO of MIC.

Simultaneously, he was named president, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in New York. He has been a member of the board of directors of the Partnership for New York City, the Corporate Leadership Committee of Carnegie Hall, and the executive committee of the Nippon Club.

Ambassador and consul general Following a 40-year career in the private sector, Sakurai accepted appointment as ambassador and consul general of Japan in New York. He served from March 2006 through March 2009; and he was the first business executive to serve in this diplomatic capacity. The couple has two daughters who grew up in the Washington, D.C., area and now live and work in the United States.