Accelerating Japan’s energy transition through innovation and global connections

Mr. Kobayashi was appointed to his current role in July 2023. He has rich experience in international cooperation, particularly in Southeast Asia, energy cooperation, climate change and innovation policy. Before assuming the current position, he was a Deputy Commissioner for International Affairs, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy and leading various bilateral and multilateral energy cooperation framework including the Asia Zero Emission Community Initiative. He also served as an Executive Director of New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), where he was managing NEDO’s international operations as well as overseeing its key domestic R&D programs such as ammonia-based power generation and CCS demonstration. He spent four years in Jakarta (2015-2019) as a COO of Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia and four years in Bangkok (2005-2009) as a Chief Representative of Japan Overseas Development Corporation, where he deeply engaged with ASEAN Secretariat and various ASEAN and ASEAN-plus Ministerial frameworks to support their cooperation activities.