was a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese politician who served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)

The of Japan is the Cabinet member responsible for Japanese foreign policy and the chief executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Since the end of the American occupation of Japan, the position has been one of the most powerful in the Cabinet, as Japan's economic interests have long relied on...

 for a brief period in 1993.

Mutō was born in Kakamigahara

Kakamigahara, Gifu

is a city located in the Gifu Prefecture of central Japan. It was founded on 1 April 1963 by the merger of Naka, Sohara, Unuma, and Inaba. Kakamigahara covers a total area of...

 in Gifu Prefecture

Gifu Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...

 in 1926. He studied at the Kyoto University

Kyoto University

, or is a national university located in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan's Imperial Universities.- History :...

. He was later elected to the House of Representatives of Japan

House of Representatives of Japan

The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...

.

Mutō founded and directed a minority studies group serving the Japanese government. Mutō replaced Michio Watanabe

Michio Watanabe

was a Japanese political figure. He was born in Tochigi and graduated from the Tokyo College of Commerce in 1942. He worked as a reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun, a certified tax accountant, and a member of Tochigi prefectural assembly before serving as a member of House of Representatives of Japan...

 as Minister for Foreign Affairs. After his stint as Foreign Minister, Mutō would later hold positions at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. He subsequently retired from politics in 2005.

In March 1993 he was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia

Order of Australia

The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...

, for service to Australian/Japanese relations.

Death

Mutō died in a Tokyo hospital from pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...

on 4 November 2009, two weeks before his 83rd birthday.