James P. Zumwalt

James Zumwalt
United States Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau
Assumed office
March 10, 2015
President Barack Obama
Preceded by Lewis Lukens
United States Ambassador to Senegal
Assumed office
February 3, 2015
President Barack Obama
Preceded by Lewis Lukens
Personal details
Born 1956 (age 5960)
El Cajon, California, U.S.
Alma mater University of California, Berkeley
National War College

James P. Zumwalt (born 1956) is an American diplomat with expertise in trade, economy, and East Asia. On November 19, 2014 he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Senegal and U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Guinea-Bissau. Previously, he worked as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs. Until December 2011, he was the Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan where he also served as chargé d'affaires ad interim during the absence of the Ambassador from January 15, 2009 till August 20, 2009.

Early life

James came from El Cajon, California.[1] In 1973 in his high school days James, as one of the exchange students of the AFS program, stayed in Japan with his host family in Yokohama and learned at Komaba Toho High School in Tokyo. Though he had a great difficulty in learning Japanese language at first, with the help of patient teachers he got used to Japanese language and culture.[2]

Graduating from high school, James entered U.C. Berkeley to become a bachelor of arts in American History and in Japanese Language in 1979.[1]

Career

U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham, Amy Klobuchar, and John McCain with Chargé d'Affaires James Zumwalt, in Chiyoda Ward, Tōkyō, April 2009.

Within the State Department in Washington, D.C, James worked as an expert on the field of Asia (the East Asia especially). He is proficient in Japanese, as well as French and Mandarin Chinese.[1]

In 1998 he earned a master's degree in International Security Studies from the National War College.[1]

When Barack Obama became the President and the former US Ambassador to Japan Tom Schieffer resigned, James worked as the chargé d'affaires ad interim from January 15, 2009 until August 20, 2009 when the next Ambassador John Roos presented his credentials to Emperor Akihito.[3][4] Now James again is the Deputy Chief of Mission of US Embassy in Japan.[1]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to James Zumwalt.

References


Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Lewis Lukens
United States Ambassador to Senegal
2015–present
Incumbent
United States Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau
2015–present
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