Hiroshi Hirabayashi was born in Tokyo in 1940 and graduated from the University of Tokyo. As an officer of the Japanese Foreign Service from 1963 to 2006, he was posted in Italy, China, France, Belgium, India, and the US (DCM). At home, he assumed many important posts, such as the Director-General of Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chief Cabinet Councillor for External Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Secretariat. Since 2007, he has been serving public interest foundations and private corporations as a director and trustee. He is currently the president of the 117-year-old Japan–India Association