Kensuke Horinouchi (堀内 謙介, March 30, 1886 – November 1, 1979) was a Japanese politician who served as ambassador to the United States and ambassador to Taiwan.
Horinouchi was a member of the Japanese delegation at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, and later noted that "Japan was totally absorbed in its own issues" at said conference.[1]
During the 1930s, he served as vice minister of foreign affairs and as a councillor at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C.[2][3] He served as consul general in New York during the early 1930s.[4]: 84
In October 1938, Horinouchi was announced as the successor to Hiroshi Saitō as ambassador to the United States.[2] He took office in April 1939.[5] He was recalled from the post in 1940,[6] and was criticised for apparently failing to promote Japanese interests in relation to the trading of aviation gasoline.[7] Despite this, he continued to be engaged in diplomatic relations between the two countries.[8]
In 1955, Horinouchi was appointed Japanese ambassador to Taiwan, succeeding Kenkichi Yoshizawa on his retirement.[9] He resigned from the position in 1959.[10]
In 1946, Horinouchi was elected the first chairman of Licensed Agencies for Relief in Asia (LARA), which gave the organisation contacts and relevance in Japan.[4]: 60