Yuji Sasagase was born on July 9th, 1964, in Shizuoka Prefecture, which leads the nation in tangerine production like Jeju Island of Korea. After graduating from National University Corporation Shizuoka University, he entered the Chunichi Shimbun (Tokyo Shimbun) in April 1992. He went through the local branches and was placed in the Politics Department in 1997. Sasagase served as a correspondent in Seoul (2002 - 2005), Director of Seoul Branch (2011 - 2013), and came to the current position in August 2013. Sasagase covered two presidential elections of South Korea and issues related to North Korea’s nuclear weapons during his time in the Seoul Branch. In the Politics Department, he usually covers the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan and is currently serving as a Cap for the Prime Minister’s official residence