List of ambassadors of Sweden to Japan

Ambassador of
Sweden to Japan
Lesser coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sweden
Incumbent
Viktoria Flodh Li
since 1 September 2024
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Swedish Embassy, Tokyo
StyleHis or Her Excellency (formal)
Mr. or Madam Ambassador (informal)
Reports toMinister for Foreign Affairs
Residence1 Chome-10-3-100 Roppongi[a]
SeatTokyo, Japan
AppointerGovernment of Sweden
Term lengthNo fixed term
Inaugural holderFrederik Philip van der Hoeven
Formation1871
WebsiteSwedish Embassy, Tokyo

The Ambassador of Sweden to Japan (known formally as the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Japan) is the official representative of the government of Sweden to the emperor of Japan and the government of Japan.

History

Diplomatic relations between Sweden and Japan were established in 1868.[2] Due to letters patent on 11 November 1870, the care of the Sweden–Norway's interests there was handed over to the Dutch trade representation, which employed consuls and vice-consuls partly in Yokohama and Tokyo (Dutch legation), partly in Nagasaki, as well as in Osaka and Hyōgo. By a decision on 9 October 1900, a career Swedish-Norwegian consulate general was established in Kobe with the whole of Japan as its consular district. Upon reorganization in 1906, the consulate general in Kobe was closed, and its functions were taken over by the Swedish legation in Tokyo.[3]

By a decision on 28 September 1906, the consulate general in Japan was assigned to King in Council's minister there, Gustaf Wallenberg. Wallenberg served as consul general from the same date and as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary from the same year.[3][4]

In the fall of 1957, an agreement was reached between the Swedish and Japanese governments on the mutual elevation of the respective countries' legations to embassies. The diplomatic rank was thereafter changed to ambassador instead of envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. Sweden's envoy handed over his letter of credence as ambassador in December of the same year.[5]

From 1995, the ambassador was concurrently accredited to the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.[6] From the autumn of 2008, the ambassador was also concurrently accredited to Palau, which had previously been under the responsibility of Sweden's ambassador in Manila.[7]

List of representatives

Name Period Title Accreditation Ref
Empire of Japan (1868–1947)
Frederik Philip van der Hoeven 1871–1872 Resident minister
Wilhelm Ferdinand Henrik van Wekherlin 1872–1878 Resident minister
Edmond W.F. Wittewaall van Stoetwegen 1879–1881 Resident minister
Johannes Jakobus van der Plot 1881–1889 Resident minister
Dmitri Louis van Bylandt 1890–1896 Resident minister
Hannibal Casimir Johannes Testa 1896–1900 Resident minister
Hannibal Casimir Johannes Testa 1900–1902 Envoy
Arthur M.D. Swerts de Landas Wyborgh 1902–1905 Envoy
John Loudon 1905–1906 Acting Envoy
Gustaf Wallenberg 1906–1920 Envoy Also acreddited to Beijing. Also served as consul general from 28 September 1906. [8][4]
Patrik Reuterswärd 18 February 1912 – 14 June 1912 Chargé d'affaires ad interim [9]
Patrik Reuterswärd 11 October 1913 – 5 February 1914 Chargé d'affaires ad interim [9]
David Bergström 7 May 1918 – 1920 Acting Envoy Also acreddited to Beijing. [10]
David Bergström 11 June 1920 – 1922 Envoy Also acreddited to Beijing. [10]
Oskar Ewerlöf 1922–1928 Envoy Also acreddited to Beijing. [11]
Johan Hultman 1928–1936 Envoy Also acreddited to Beijing (from 1929) and Bangkok (from 1931). [12]
Widar Bagge 1937 – April 1945 Envoy Also acreddited to Bangkok. [13][14]
Erik von Sydow April 1945 – 15 February 1946 Chargé d'affaires ad interim[b] [15][14][16]
– 1946–1947 – Vacant. [17][18]
Japan (1947–present)
Leif Öhrvall 1948–1951 Diplomatic representative [19]
Karl-Gustav Lagerfelt 1951–1952 Diplomatic representative [20]
Karl-Gustav Lagerfelt 1952–1956 Envoy [21]
Tage Grönwall 9 July 1956 – December 1957 Envoy [22][5]
Tage Grönwall December 1957 – 1962 Ambassador Also acreddited to Seoul (from 1959). [5][23]
Karl Fredrik Almqvist 1963–1970 Ambassador Also acreddited to Seoul. [24]
Gunnar Heckscher 1970–1975 Ambassador Also acreddited to Seoul. [25]
Bengt Odevall 1975–1981 Ambassador Also acreddited to Seoul (1975–1979). [26]
Gunnar Lonaeus 1981–1986 Ambassador [27]
Ove Heyman 1986–1991 Ambassador [28]
Magnus Vahlquist 1992–1997 Ambassador Also acreddited to Marshall Islands (from 1995) and the Federated States of Micronesia (from 1995[c]). [6]
Krister Kumlin 1997–2002 Ambassador Also acreddited to Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia. [30]
Mikael Lindström 2002–2006 Ambassador Also acreddited to Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia. [31]
Stefan Noreén 2006–2011 Ambassador Also acreddited to Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau (from 2008). [32]
Lars Vargö 2011–2014 Ambassador Also acreddited to Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau. [33]
Magnus Robach 2014–2019 Ambassador Also acreddited to Palau. [34]
Pereric Högberg 1 September 2019 – 2024 Ambassador Also acreddited to Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. [35]
Viktoria Li 2024–present Ambassador [36]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ The ambassador's residence is at the same location as the chancery.[1]
  2. ^ Held the diplomatic rank of first legation secretary.[14]
  3. ^ One souce states 1995[6] and another 1996.[29]

References

Notes

  1. ^ "Tokyo, Japan. Ambassadanläggning" [Tokyo, Japan. Embassy complex] (in Swedish). National Property Board of Sweden. 3 October 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Om oss" [About us] (in Swedish). Embassy of Sweden, Tokyo. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b Almquist 1914, pp. 399–400
  4. ^ a b Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1920 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksell. 1920. p. 173.
  5. ^ a b c "Svensk ambassad även i Tokio" [Swedish embassy also in Tokyo]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 8 December 1957. p. 4A. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Almqvist 1997, pp. 183, 187
  7. ^ "Marshallöarna, Mikronesien och Palau" [Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau] (in Swedish). Embassy of Sweden, Tokyo. Archived from the original on 1 June 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  8. ^ Almquist 1914, p. 400
  9. ^ a b Elgenstierna 1931, p. 276
  10. ^ a b Jacobson 1922, p. 728
  11. ^ Sveriges statskalender för året 1928 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksell. 1928. p. 186.
  12. ^ Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1945 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1945] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1945. p. 506. SELIBR 8261511.
  13. ^ Svensson 1953, p. 61
  14. ^ a b c "Vår minister i Tokio på hemväg" [Our minister in Tokyo on his way home]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 15 April 1945. p. 4A. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  15. ^ Salander Mortensen 1996, p. 1089.
  16. ^ "Kusligt bo i Tokio under krigets slutskede" [Eerie living in Tokyo during the final stages of the war]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). New York City. 15 March 1946. p. 3. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  17. ^ Sveriges statskalender för året 1946 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1946. p. 272.
  18. ^ Sveriges statskalender för året 1947 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1947. p. 278.
  19. ^ Sveriges statskalender för året 1951 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1951. p. 295.
  20. ^ Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1952 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1952. p. 300.
  21. ^ Sveriges statskalender för skottåret 1956 (PDF) (in Swedish). Uppsala: Fritzes offentliga publikationer. 1956. p. 318.
  22. ^ "Sveriges beskickning i Tokio" [Sweden's mission in Tokyo]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 20 November 1957. p. 4A. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  23. ^ Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1985 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1985] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1984. p. 397. ISBN 91-1-843222-0. SELIBR 3681527.
  24. ^ Sköldenberg 1970, p. 353
  25. ^ Sköldenberg 1975, p. 410
  26. ^ Salander Mortensen 1996, p. 853.
  27. ^ Spiegelberg 1986, p. 357
  28. ^ Spiegelberg 1991, p. 353
  29. ^ Salander Mortensen 1996, p. 1154.
  30. ^ Spiegelberg 2002, pp. 183, 187–188
  31. ^ Spiegelberg 2006, pp. 181, 187
  32. ^ Sveriges statskalender 2010 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedts Juridik AB/Fritzes. 2010. pp. 184, 190, 193. ISBN 978-91-38-32520-9. SELIBR 11846164.
  33. ^ "OTV Weekend Report: Sweden Ambassador presents credentials to FSM President". Oceania Television Network. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2026. Ambassador Vargo is based in Japan is also accredited to the Republic of Marshall Islands and Palau
  34. ^ Japan: "Outstanding Functions / 2010s". Japan-Sweden Society. Retrieved 24 October 2025. H.E. Ambassador Magnus Robach arrived in Tokyo in September to succeed H.E. Ambassador Lars Vargö and presented his Credentials on December 5, 2014.
  35. ^
  36. ^ "Ny ambassadör i Japan" [New ambassador in Japan] (Press release) (in Swedish). Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.

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