Growing into the future—securing the next wave of international investment in the Australian oil and gas industry

Toshiaki Kitamura is President and CEO of INPEX Corporation. He joined the company as Executive Vice President in August, 2009 and served in that capacity until he assumed his present position in June 2010.

Throughout his career he has held a variety of directorial positions at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI) in establishing the Japanese government policies for international trade, economic cooperation, and public utility sectors. He also served the late Prime minister, Keizo Obuchi, as executive assistant from 1998. After he assumed several director general positions, he was named vice minister for international affairs in 2006. During his tenure he took the lead at a number of economic and trade negotiations with foreign governments. In 2007, he transferred to Tokyo Marine and Nichido Fire Insurance as as an advisor.

He is originally from Hokkaido, the northernmost part of Japan and holds LLB from the Faculty of Law, Tokyo University.