Uichiro Niwa

was a Japanese diplomat and businessman who served as the Ambassador of Japan to the People's Republic of China, president and chairman of Itochu Corporation, and chairman of the Society of Global Business (SGB).

Business career Niwa joined Itochu Corporation in 1962 after graduating from Nagoya University.

He became president of Itochu in 1998, at the age of 61. At the time, Itochu was suffering significant losses from the collapse of the Japanese asset price bubble. Niwa cut 300 unprofitable businesses and held an initial public offering of Itochu's IT subsidiary Itochu Techno-Solutions in order to raise cash. He established a team called "Net Valley" to grow Itochu's investments in the internet, satellite and broadcasting industries.

Assignment to Japan-Turkey Society Chairman From 2008, Niwa served as the Chairman of the Japan-Turkey Society, established in 1926, until becoming its special advisor in 2010.

Ambassador to China Niwa became ambassador to China in July 2010. His appointment was unusual as it was rare for a businessperson to hold the position. He was then severely criticized by Ishihara, who called for Niwa to be fired. Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba subsequently announced that Niwa had apologized to him in a private letter. Genba shortly thereafter recalled Niwa as Japan's Ambassador to China.

Ishihara's actions and Prime Minister Noda's subsequent nationalization of the islands led to large scale anti-Japan demonstrations in 2012 and a grave crisis in diplomatic relations between Japan and China, proving that the fears of the United States and Niwa had been well founded. In an interview with the Asahi Shimbun published on December 28, 2012, Niwa nevertheless stressed his view that the Senkaku Islands are part of Japanese territory, saying that, "The Senkaku Islands are Japanese territory. We should not concede even an inch." But in the same interview the ambassador stated that, "Having worked for a company, my thinking was to work on behalf of the nation, society and people. Pursuing only the interests of one's own company will, in the long run, not lead to the development of society. Profits and a company's brand can only be constructed by thinking from a wider perspective." He also stated that "When a governor speaks or acts in a manner that can affect national interests, the prime minister should say, 'You should keep quiet. That is a task for the central government.' What would happen to Japan's governing structure if other prefectural governors took a similar action as the Tokyo governor?"

Death Niwa died on December 24, 2025, at the age of 86.

Honours Honorary Doctoral Degree from Shiga University in 2010