Chairman
| 1994 – Nov. 2007 | Tadahiro SEKIMOTO(Chairman of NEC) |
| 1992 – 1993 | Seiya MATSUMOTO (President of Pioneer, President of The Japan-Belgium Society) |
Chairman of Operating Committee
*This system has started since 1995.
| Year | European Capital of Culture | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 (30th) |
Kaunas, Lithuania Esch, Luxembourg |
Nobuyuki HIRANO (Senior Advisor of MUFG Bank) |
| 2021 (29th) |
Novi Sad, Serbia Timișoara, Romania Eleusis, Greece |
Shuzo SUMI (Senior Executive Advisor of Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance) |
| 2020 (28th) |
Galway, Ireland Rijeka, Croatia |
Takeshi KUNIBE (Chairman of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group) |
| 2019 (27th) |
Matera, Italy Provdiv, Burgaria |
Masakazu TOKURA (Chairman of Sumitomo Chemical) |
| 2018 (26th) |
Valletta, Malta Leeuwarden, the Netherlands |
Masami IIJIMA (Chairman of Mitsui & Co.) |
| 2017 (25th) |
Aarhus, Denmark Pafos, Cyprus |
Nobuyuki KOGA (Chairman of Nomura Holdings) |
| 2016 (24th) |
Wroclaw, Poland San Sebastian, Spain |
Takeshi UCHIYAMADA (Chairman of Toyota Motor) |
| 2015 (23rd) |
Plzen, Czech Republic Mons, Belgium |
Hideaki OMIYA (Chairman of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) |
| 2014 (22nd) |
Riga, Latvia Umeå, Sweden |
Masayuki OKU (Chairman of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group) |
| 2013 (21st) |
Košice, Slovakia Marseille-Provence, France |
Yorihiko KOJIMA (Chairman of Mitsubishi Corporation) |
| 2012 (20th) |
Guimarães, Portugal Slovenia, Maribor |
Takashi KAWAMURA (Chairman of Hitachi) |
| 2011 (19th) |
Turku, Finland Tallinn, Estonia |
Sadayuki SAKAKIBARA (Chairman of Toray Industries) |
| 2010 (18th) |
Pecs, Hungary Istanbul, Turkey |
Hiromichi IWASA (President of Mitsui Fudosan) |
| 2009 (17th) |
Vilnius, Lithuania Linz, Austria |
Kazuo TSUKUDA (Chairman of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) |
| 2008 (16th) |
Liverpool, U.K. Stavanger, Norway |
Yoji OHASHI (Chairman of All Nippon Airways) |
| 2007 (15th) |
Sibiu, Romania Luxembourg |
Fumiaki WATARI (Chairman of Nippon Oil) |
| 2006 (14th) |
Patras, Greece | Takao KUSAKARI (Chairman of NYK Line) |
| 2005 (13th) |
Cork, Ireland | Kunio TAKEDA (Chairman of Takeda Pharmaceutical) |
| 2004 (12th) |
Lille, France Genova, Italy |
Fujio CHO (President of Toyota Motor) |
| 2003 (11th) |
Graz, Austria | Masatoshi KISHIMOTO (Chairman of Olympus) |
| 2002 (10th) |
Brugge, Belgium Salamance, Spain |
Kaneo ITO (President of Pioneer) |
| 2001 (9th) |
Porto, Portugal Rotterdam, The Netherlands |
Yuzaburo MOGI (President of Kikkoman) |
| 2000 (8th) |
Avignon, France Brussels, Belgium Santiago de Compostela, Spain |
Yoshiharu FUKUHARA (Chairman of Shiseido) |
| 1999 (7th) |
Weimar, Germany | Tadahiro SEKIMOTO (Adviser of NEC) |
| 1998 (6th) |
Stockholm, Sweden | Yotaro KOBAYASHI (Chairman of Fuji Xerox) |
| 1997 (5th) |
Thessaloniki, Greece | Yoshitoki CHINO (Honorary Chairman of Daiwa Securities) |
| 1996 (4th) |
Copenhagen, Denmark | Eiji TOYODA (Honorary Chairman of Toyota Motor) |
| 1995 (3th) |
Luxembourg | Yoh KUROSAWA (President of the Industrial Bank of Japan) |
（Post at time of assumption）