秋葉外務次官、在職１位　「菅外交」のキーパーソン

　外務省の秋葉剛男事務次官は１６日、在職日数が１１８４日に達し、佐藤栄作政権で次官を務めた牛場信彦氏を超え戦後歴代１位となった。「官邸主導」外交を推進した第２次安倍政権で影の薄かった外務省だが、菅政権では主導権を取り戻しつつあり、事務方トップの秋葉氏が「菅外交」のかじ取りを担っている。
　秋葉氏は東大卒業後、１９８２年に入省。国際法局長や総合外交政策局長、政務担当の外務審議官を歴任し、２０１８年１月に事務次官に就任した。中国課長在任時の０６年には「戦略的互恵関係」の立案に関与、日中関係の改善に努めた。外務審議官として対ロシア交渉にも当たった。（2021/04/16-00:07）

Takeo Akiba became the longest-serving Japanese vice foreign minister in the postwar era on Friday, when he marked 1,184 days in office.
   He thus passed Nobuhiko Ushiba, who served in the top post for Foreign Ministry bureaucrats under the administration of then Prime Minister Eisaku Sato, which lasted between 1964 and 1972.
   The ministry is regaining its influence under the current government of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga after seeing its presence weaken during the second administration of Suga's predecessor, Shinzo Abe, who promoted the country's diplomacy under the lead of the prime minister's office. Akiba is playing a central role in the Suga government's diplomacy.
   Akiba, who joined the ministry in 1982 after graduating from the University of Tokyo, served as director-general of the International Legal Affairs Bureau and of the Foreign Policy Bureau, and then as senior deputy foreign minister for political affair before becoming vice foreign minister in January 2018.
   In 2006, when he was chief of a China affairs division at the ministry, Akiba engaged in the work to draw up the concept of a mutually beneficial strategic partnership between Japan and China as part of Tokyo's efforts to improve its relations with Beijing. Akiba was in charge of negotiations with Russia when he was serving as senior deputy foreign minister.