Ichirō Komatsu

Director General of Cabinet Legislation BureauIn office
8 August 2013 – 16 May 2014Prime MinisterShinzo AbePreceded byTsuneyuki YamamotoSucceeded byYusuke Yokobatake Personal detailsBorn(1951-03-08)8 March 1951
Kobe, JapanDied23 June 2014(2014-06-23) (aged 63)
Suginami, Tokyo, JapanAlma materHitotsubashi University

Ichirō Komatsu (小松 一郎, Komatsu Ichirō, 8 March 1951 – 23 June 2014) was a Japanese diplomat, civil servant and politician.

Entered Seiko Gakuin Junior and Senior High School. After passing the foreign affairs public service class I examination (=diplomat recruitment examination), he dropped out of Hitotsubashi University's Faculty of Law after three years and entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1972.He was appointed the Director-General of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau, a highly influential post, by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in August 2013.^[1] The Cabinet Legislation Bureau advises Cabinet members on laws and legal matters, studies legislation, and determines how the government should interpret the Constitution of Japan.^[1] He stepped down from the position in May 2014 due to declining health from cancer.^[1] Komatsu had previously served as Japan's ambassador to France, Switzerland and Liechtenstein earlier in his career.^[1][2]

Born in 1951, Komatsu graduated from Hitotsubashi University.^[1] He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served as the ministry's director-general for international legal affairs.^[1]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unilaterally appointed Komatsu as Director-General of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau in August 2013. Komatsu was the first Foreign Ministry official to be appointed to the post.^[1] Abe and Komatsu shared similar beliefs that Japan's pacifist Constitution should be revised to allow for more military involvement overseas.^[1] Komatsu supported Abe's efforts to skirt Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution to increase Japan's security role on the international stage.^[1]

Ichiro Komatsu died from cancer on 23 June 2014, at the age of 63.^[1]