Yoichiro (Giro) Yamada joined the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1984. After serving as DCM in Kenya and Belgium, he was appointed as consul-general of Japan in Seattle in April 2017. He believes that the best service an overseas mission can provide is to facilitate exchanges by connecting good-willed people with potential partners across the borders.

Giro's past overseas postings include Moscow, Brussels (twice), Warsaw, New York, and Nairobi. He has a BA from the University of Tokyo and an MPA from Columbia University. His hobbies are golf, go (the game), and piano. He is married, with a son.