Professor Yoriko Kawaguchi was Minister of the Environment from 2000-2002 and Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2002-2004.  Subsequently, she served as Special Adviser to the Prime Minister responsible for foreign affairs (2004-2005).  She was elected to the House of Councilors in 2005 and served for two terms until 2013. She currently serves as a visiting professor at Musashino University, and fellow at the Musashino Institute for Global Affairs. She also is a distinguished fellow of the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research and serves as an advisory board member for various international non-profit organizations.  She was awarded the Order of the Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun in 2017, Star of Jerusalem by the Palestinian National Authority in 2010, and Wilbur Cross Medal by Yale University in 2008.