Mr. Hara is the Director for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Education Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). He oversees bilateral and multilateral cooperation with foreign countries all over the world in the Science, Technology and Innovation field. Prior to his current position, he was Manager at the Planning Division in the Department for Information Infrastructure in the Japan Science and Technology Agency. He has worked for about 15 years in JST, where he worked for providing information platform and database services, promoting research and development activities and promoting international cooperation. Before working at the JST, he worked in the manufacturing industry after finishing his master degree in forestry science.