is 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

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

. Elected as a representative of the Liberal Democratic Party, in 1993 he broke away to form New Party Sakigake

New Party Sakigake

The New Party Sakigake was a Japanese political party that broke away from the Liberal Democratic Party on June 22, 1993. The party was created by Masayoshi Takemura. The party, was a centrist party, and it had many reformist and even moderate ecological elements. The theoretical reader was...

, before joining the newly formed Democratic Party of Japan

Democratic Party of Japan

The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...

 in 1997. He served as Chief Cabinet Secretary

Chief Cabinet Secretary

__notoc__The of Japan is a Minister of State who is responsible for directing the Cabinet Secretariat. The main function of Chief Cabinet Secretary is to coordinate the policies of ministries and agencies in the executive branch...

 and then Finance Minister

Finance minister

The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, stimulate the economy, and control finances...

 in the Japanese government of the mid 1990s.

Early life

Takemura was born in Gamō district

Gamo District, Shiga

is a district located in Shiga, Japan.As of September 1, 2011, the district has an estimated population of 35,629 and a density of 220 persons per km²...

 in Shiga Prefecture, to a family of farmers. Initially studying engineering at Nagoya University

Nagoya University

Nagoya University is one of the most prestigious universities in Japan. It can be seen in the several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:...

, he graduated from University of Tokyo

University of Tokyo

, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...

 studying education and finance. He began his professional life as a bureaucrat in the Home Affairs Ministry.

Political career

After leaving the Ministry, he was elected mayor of Yōkaichi

Yokaichi, Shiga

was a city located in Shiga, Japan.On February 11, 2005 Yōkaichi was merged with the towns of Eigenji and Gokashō, both from Kanzaki District, and the towns of Aitō and Kotō, both from Echi District, to form the new city of Higashiōmi....

 in Shiga Prefecture, and then governor of Shiga prefecture from 1974 to 1986. He was elected to the Lower House in 1986 as a representative of the Liberal Democratic Party. In 1993 he split from the LDP to found the New Party Sakigake

New Party Sakigake

The New Party Sakigake was a Japanese political party that broke away from the Liberal Democratic Party on June 22, 1993. The party was created by Masayoshi Takemura. The party, was a centrist party, and it had many reformist and even moderate ecological elements. The theoretical reader was...

.

He took part in the coalition governments of Morihiro Hosokawa

Morihiro Hosokawa

is a Japanese politician who was the 79th Prime Minister of Japan from August 9, 1993 to April 28, 1994. His coalition was the first non-Liberal Democratic Party government since 1955.- Early life :...

 as Chief Cabinet Secretary and Tomiichi Murayama

Tomiichi Murayama

is a retired Japanese politician who served as the 81st Prime Minister of Japan from June 30, 1994 to January 11, 1996. He was the head of the Social Democratic Party of Japan and the first Socialist prime minister in nearly fifty years...

 as Finance Minister.

Described as "blunt, pragmatic and outspoken", his confrontational tenure at the finance ministry led Euromoney to describe him as "The worst finance minister of the year" for 1995. It has been speculated that his confrontational attitude towards the officials of the Ministry of Finance stem from the manner in which the Hosokawa

Morihiro Hosokawa

is a Japanese politician who was the 79th Prime Minister of Japan from August 9, 1993 to April 28, 1994. His coalition was the first non-Liberal Democratic Party government since 1955.- Early life :...

 government fell apart over the introduction of consumption tax

Consumption tax

A consumption tax is a tax on spending on goods and services. The tax base of such a tax is the money spent on consumption. Consumption taxes are usually indirect, such as a sales tax or a value added tax...

, with Ministry of Finance Officials conspiring with Hosokawa to keep coalitions partners in the dark over their plans.