Joy M. Sakurai began her assignment as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Seoul, Republic of Korea in January 2023.
Ms. Sakurai’s most recent overseas assignment was as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Vientiane, Laos. She has also served as the Principal Officer in Fukuoka, Japan, in addition to Jakarta, Indonesia on two occasions, in Tokyo, Japan and in Islamabad, Pakistan. In Washington, she served in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research and the Bureau of East Asian & Pacific Affairs.
Ms. Sakurai is from Hawai’i and is a 2020 Distinguished Graduate of the National War College and the recipient of the college’s Theodore Roosevelt Award for scholarship and leadership. She received her undergraduate degree from Lake Forest College. Her foreign languages include Japanese, Indonesian, Lao, and French. Her foreign service officer spouse and two children have also joined her in Seoul.