After graduating from the Tbilisi State University in 1971, Tedo Japaridze studied and worked in the Soviet Union Academy of Sciences. He was later appointed deputy foreign affairs minister of Georgia. He served as the Georgian ambassador to the United States, Canada, and Mexico before becoming the advisor to the president in the National Security Council of Georgia.

Throughout his career, he has presided over many public policy institutions, including the U.S.-Caucasus Institute in Tbilisi. He also published policy documents for the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars and was named the secretary general of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). In addition to this distinguished service, he worked as the alternate director general in the International Centre for Black Sea Studies (ICBSS) and as president of the Energy Security Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan. Japaridze speaks fluent English, Russian, and Spanish.