Kenichiro Sasae (佐々江 賢一郎, Sasae Ken'ichirō) is a retired Japanese diplomat who served as Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2010 - 2012 and Japan's ambassador to the United States from 2012 - 2018.

[2] Sasae joined the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in April 1974 and served in a number of key diplomatic positions dealing with Japan's foreign policy toward Asia, including as Director of the Northeast Asia Division and Director-General of the Asian and Oceania Affairs Bureau.

[3] He served as the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs from August 2010 until his appointment as Japanese ambassador to the United States in September 2012.

Sasae served as Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was representative of Japan during the six-party talks to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns as a result of the North Korean nuclear weapons program.

[4][5][6] On 19 August 2012, as Vice Foreign Minister, Sasae stated that the protests made by China are "unacceptable" and voiced regret over anti-Japanese protests in China.