Director-General for Commerce / Service Industry Policy

MINAMI Ryo

Mr. Minami Ryo has been serving as the Director-General for Commerce and Service Industry Policy since July 2024. In this position, he promotes the development of the healthcare industry, including biomanufacturing, the entertainment and content industries, and education services industries. Also, he is in charge of programs designed to make Japan’s logistics and service industries more efficient. He is responsible for government initiatives aimed at expanding the availability of cashless transactions.

From 2023 to 2024 he was the Director-General for Policy Planning and Coordination. He led the assessment of the strategic environment necessary for policy planning, as well as the planning and coordination of forward-looking policy agendas and policy instruments including the economy, trade, industry, innovation, energy and climate.
From 2021 to 2023 he was the Director-General of International Policy on Carbon Neutrality. He coordinated Japanese Government policy on energy and climate in G7 ministerial meetings and G7 summits, including CBAM, and launched the platform AZEC, which promotes decarbonization in Asia.

From 2018 to 2021 he was the Director-General of Natural Resources and Fuel Department. His achievements include support for an LNG project in the United States, support for strengthening the critical mineral supply chain, and cooperation with OECD countries on hydrogen, CCUS/carbon recycling, and other decarbonization technologies.

From 2015 to 2018 he was the Director of the Europe Division. Activities he was involved in include negotiations toward the conclusion of a Japan-EU EPA, promoting economic cooperation between Japan and European countries, and cooperating with the European Commission on regulatory matters.

From 2012 to 2015 he was the Director of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Division. Actions he promoted include acquiring upstream interests in the UAE, successfully starting LNG exports from the United States, strengthening LNG financing, and eliminating destination-related clauses in LNG trading contracts.

From 2010 to 2012 he was the Director of the International Affairs Division, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy. He played an active role as a member of the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency (IEA). He led the emergency release of oil reserves in 2011. He concluded Japan-France and Japan-UK energy cooperation agreements.

From 2007 to 2010 he was the Director of Nippon Export and Investment Insurance, New York. During the global financial crisis, he oversaw the introduction of operating fund loan insurance to Japanese companies. He oversaw oil and mineral resource projects in Latin America.

He graduated from the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law. He completed an LLM at the University of Texas.
He was born in Tokyo on April 18, 1966.