June 2024
Adjunct Professor John Neary (UCD College of Social Sciences and Law & UCD School of Social Policy, Social Justice and Social Work under the auspices of the UCD Centre for Japanese Studies) released his book entitled “Public Diplomacy in Ireland and Japan”
The book explores how culture, business, sport and education have shaped international relations between the two nations – Ireland and Japan.
Prof. Neary graduated from UCD with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1973. He joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1974. His early career included assignments in the Political, Economic and Overseas Aid Divisions of the Department as well as postings in the Embassies in Luxembourg, London and Riyadh. From 1989-1991 he was Deputy Head of Ireland’s delegation to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Prof. Neary served as Head of Personnel and Planning from 1994 to 1998 and was responsible for the organisational arrangements for Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union in 1996. After three years at the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU in Brussels, Mr Neary returned to Dublin in 2001 to lead the Consular and Passport Division of the Department where he oversaw the introduction of the new passport system in 2004. He also served as Inspector General for Irish Diplomatic and Consular Missions abroad and as Director General of the Promoting Ireland Abroad Division which was centrally involved in the Department’s efforts to promote Ireland’s economic recovery after the global financial crisis in 2008.
In 2010, Prof. Neary was appointed as Ambassador to Japan where he spent four years building up links between Ireland and Japan.
In 2017, he retired after his last posting as Ambassador of Ireland to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and joined the Centre/School/College in UCD as Adjunct Professor. The book was several years in the making, and the team at the UCD Centre for Japanese Studies is delighted to see the book! It is not only for those who are interested in the bilateral relationship between Ireland and Japan, but also for those studying politics, international relations and how the world is shaped by us all.
You can read a free preview on the website of Amsterdam University Press. (opens in a new window)https://aup.nl/en/book/9789048559657/public-diplomacy-in-ireland-and-japan