Gonzalo de Benito
- Ambassador
- Embassy of Spain
- http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Embajadas/Tokio
Date of birth: Nov. 15, 1951
Hometown: Madrid
Number of years in Japan (cumulative): 3 (as of August 2018)

My first encounter with Japan was as secretary of
state for foreign affairs, accompanying then-Prime
Minister Mariano Rajoy on his visit to Japan in
October 2013.
On that occasion, both Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Rajoy adopted the declaration of the
“Association for Peace, Growth and Innovation,” that continues to be the framework of our cooperation.
Since then my respect and admiration for Japan and the Japanese people has only grown.
“Do the best you can every day.” I believe improvement comes from good principles and positive targets combined with continuous effort. I think one should try to do their best in their personal and professional life on a daily basis.
Definitely having succeeded in winning a seat for Spain as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in a very, very difficult election at the General Assembly on Oct. 16, 2014. This was the final day of a long and strenuous campaign for which I was largely responsible, and we fulfilled our objective.
My goal in Japan is to enhance our relations to the
highest level. In the last three years, important milestones have been achieved — the state visit of the King and Queen of Spain, a direct Tokyo-Madrid flight via Iberia and the celebration of the 150th anniversary of diplomatic
relations, among others.
We will continue working closely with Japan’s
government and society to make Spain even more known and appreciated.