Masatoshi Muto

Masatoshi Muto (武藤 正敏, Mutō Masatoshi, born December 18, 1948) is a Japanese professor and former diplomat who served as the Japanese ambassador to South Korea from 2010 to 2012.[2] He also served as the Japanese ambassador to Kuwait in the late 2000s and was the Japanese consul-general in Hawaii in the early 2000s.[3]

Masatoshi Muto
武藤正敏
Japanese Ambassador to South Korea
In office
August 5, 2010 – October 2012
Preceded byToshinori Shigeya
Succeeded byHiroki Bessho
Japanese Ambassador to Kuwait
In office
2007–2010
Preceded byOtsuki Masamitsu
Succeeded byHiromi Ogizo
Japanese Consul-General in Honolulu
In office
2002–2005
Preceded byShibuya Rin
Succeeded byIwao Ikuo
Personal details
Born (1948-12-18) December 18, 1948
Tokyo, Japan
Alma materYokohama National University,
Harvard University (Master)[1]

Early life and education

Muto was born in the Setagaya ward of Tokyo and graduated from Yokohama National University in 1972, where he studied economics. Muto also studied Korean and is reportedly fluent in the language. And in 1975, he received master's degree from graduate school of Harvard University.[1]

Career

In 2005, Muto became an envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to South Korea.

During the period from 2007 to 2010, Muto worked as Japanese Ambassador to Kuwait.[1]

In August 2010, Muto became the Japanese ambassador to South Korea. He was briefly recalled by the Japanese government in protest of an August 2012 visit by the South Korean president to the Liancourt Rocks,[4][5] which Japan claims but South Korea controls and administers. He eventually returned to his post. Muto's successor, Hiroki Bessho, was nominated in September 2012, and Muto left the post in October 2012. Muto's posting to South Korea was his last official diplomatic position; he has since retired from diplomatic work and now works as a diplomatic analyst and critic.

Diplomatic analysis

When he wrote a book on Hell Joseon and Moon Jae-in in 2017, titled 韓国人に生まれなくてよかった (kankokujin ni umarenakute yokatta), it was well read and understood in Japan.[6] However, responding to its sensational title, this book was treated as if Anti-Korean sentiment in Korea.[7] The content of the book is quite different, and in response to such situation, Muto had additionally published his commentary on this book.[8]

In 2018, Muto has criticized as what he perceives to be a high level of anti-Japanese sentiment in China and South Korea. He claims that in China, anti-Japanese sentiment is cultivated for the benefit of the state, whereas in South Korea's case, anti-Japanese sentiment is actually hurting the country's interests rather than helping it.[9]

Awards
  • Order of merit (修好勲章光化章) from South Korean government, 2013[10]

Bibliography
  • 日韓対立の真相. Goku books, 2015.
  • 日本大使が徹底分析　韓国の大誤算. Goku books, 2016.
  • 韓国人に生まれなくてよかった. Goku books, 2017. - introduced about Hell Joseon situation and Moon Jae-in's administration
  • 文在寅という災厄. Goku books, 2019. - reviewed Moon Jae-in's policy
  • 文在寅の謀略 すべて見抜いた！. Goku books, 2020. - reviewed Moon Jae-in's policy
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References
  1. "武藤正敏" [Masatoshi Muto]. TBS Casting. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. "'It Is Fortunate That I Wasn't Born as a Korean,' Ex-Japanese Envoy to Seoul Says in Column: Masatoshi Muto Stirs Controversy in South Korea". The Seoul Times. South Korea. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  3. "'I'm happy because I'm not born Korean,' writes Japanese diplomat in memoir". The Korea Times. May 28, 2017.
  4. "Japan envoy to return to S Korea". United Kingdom: British Broadcasting Corporation. August 22, 2012.
  5. Keiko Mizunuma (May 21, 2015). "「韓国はもう反日をやめるときだ」 「日韓対立の真相」著者の武藤正敏・前駐韓大使に聞く page 1" ["South Korea should stop anti-Japan movements": Asking to the author of 日韓対立の真相 Mr. Masatoshi Muto (p.1)]. Sankei News.
  6. "韓国人に生まれなくてよかった". Book Mater. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  7. Park Si-soo (May 28, 2017). "'I'm happy because I'm not born Korean,' writes Japanese diplomat in memoir". Korea Times. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  8. Masatoshi Muto (February 24, 2017). "「韓国人に生まれなくて良かった」元駐韓大使が心底思う理由" [Why I truly think that “I'm glad to have been born not as a Korean”]. Diamond Online. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  9. "元駐韓大使 武藤正敏氏に聞く"元徴用工"問題の今後". FNN Prime Online. October 30, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  10. Keiko Mizunuma (May 21, 2015). "「韓国はもう反日をやめるときだ」 「日韓対立の真相」著者の武藤正敏・前駐韓大使に聞く page 4" ["South Korea should stop anti-Japan movements": Asking to the author of 日韓対立の真相 Mr. Masatoshi Muto (p.4)]. Sankei News. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
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