The government named on Tuesday new ambassadors to Bolivia, Cyprus, East Timor, Iceland and UNESCO, effective Wednesday.

Osamu Hokida, 63, will become the top envoy to Bolivia after serving as the consul general in Leon, Mexico for a little more than two years. His previous postings include the Foreign Ministry's Consular Affairs Bureau and the embassy in Spain.

Izumi Seki, 62, will be the ambassador to Cyprus after serving as the consul general in Hagatna, the capital of the U.S. territory of Guam. She has also worked at embassies in the United States and Lithuania.

Masami Kinefuchi, 61, becomes the ambassador to East Timor having previously served as the consul general in Nashville, Tennessee and at embassies in Australia, Egypt and Pakistan.

Hitoshi Ozawa, 60, will be the top envoy to Iceland after a stint as director general of the Foreign Ministry's Intelligence and Analysis Service. His past postings include at embassies in the U.K., Canada, the Philippines, Vietnam and Russia.

Atsuyuki Oike, 59, will become head of Japan's permanent delegation to the Paris-based U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. He has previously worked at the Cabinet Secretariat as well as embassies in China, South Korea and the United States.