Nobutaka Machimura
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese politician. He is a member of the House of Representatives of Japan
and a member of the Liberal Democratic Party
. He was Chief Cabinet Secretary
in the government of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda
from 2007 to 2008.
and Wesleyan University
in the United States
. He was elected to his first term in the House of Representatives in the December 1983 election, and he has been re-elected in each election since. He became Minister of Education, Science, Sports and Culture on September 11, 1997, as part of Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto
's second cabinet, and became State Secretary for Foreign Affairs on July 31, 1998, in Keizō Obuchi
's first cabinet. In March 2000, he became Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, serving under Obuchi and his successor, Yoshirō Mori
. On December 5, 2000, he became Minister of Education, Science, Sports and Culture and Director-General of the Science and Technology Agency, before becoming Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on January 6, 2001.
He was the Minister for Foreign Affairs
under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
from September 27, 2004 to October 31, 2005. His goals included signing a treaty with Russia
resolving a border dispute, and investigating the whereabouts of Japanese hostages who were kidnapped
by North Korea
n agents during the 1970s and 1980s. He was replaced by Tarō Asō
in the cabinet reshuffle that followed the September 11, 2005 election.
He was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs again by Prime Minister Shinzō Abe
on August 27, 2007. In 2006, Machimura became chairman of the Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai, the LDP's largest faction. As such, on September 14, 2007 he backed Yasuo Fukuda's bid to become Abe's successor, following Abe's resignation on September 12. Since 2007, Machimura co-chairs his faction alongside Hidenao Nakagawa
and Shūzen Tanigawa
.
In Fukuda's government, sworn in on September 26, 2007, Machimura became Chief Cabinet Secretary and State Minister in charge of Abduction Issues
. He was replaced by Takeo Kawamura
in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Taro Aso
, which was appointed on 24 September 2008.
He is the vice president of the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union
.
.
The Shukan Bunshun weekly quoted him as saying, “No matter what it looks like, the United States is a very conservative country.”
“Obama is black and Hillary is a woman. I guess it would be difficult for them to win,”the government’s chief spokesman, was quoted as saying in a gathering with reporters in February, 2008.
“It will likely be McCain who will win the race in the end.”
However, his rebuttal to the magazine states that his best friend was African-American when he studied at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, he was quoted as saying “It’s not in my mindset to discriminate against black people or women, “In fact, Secretary of State (Condoleezza) Rice was the person I trusted the most when I was foreign minister.”
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. He is a member of 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,...
and a member of the Liberal Democratic Party
Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
. He was 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...
in the government of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda
Yasuo Fukuda
was the 91st Prime Minister of Japan, serving from 2007 to 2008. He was previously the longest-serving Chief Cabinet Secretary in Japanese history, serving for three and a half years under Prime Ministers Yoshirō Mori and Junichiro Koizumi....
from 2007 to 2008.
Career
He attended the University of TokyoUniversity 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...
and Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was elected to his first term in the House of Representatives in the December 1983 election, and he has been re-elected in each election since. He became Minister of Education, Science, Sports and Culture on September 11, 1997, as part of Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto
Ryutaro Hashimoto
was a Japanese politician who served as the 82nd and 83rd Prime Minister of Japan from January 11, 1996 to July 30, 1998. He was the leader of one of the largest factions within the ruling LDP through most of the 1990s and remained a powerful back-room player in Japanese politics until scandal...
's second cabinet, and became State Secretary for Foreign Affairs on July 31, 1998, in Keizō Obuchi
Keizo Obuchi
was a Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives for twelve terms, and ultimately as the 84th Prime Minister of Japan from July 30, 1998 to April 5, 2000. His political career ended when he suffered a serious and ultimately fatal stroke....
's first cabinet. In March 2000, he became Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, serving under Obuchi and his successor, Yoshirō Mori
Yoshiro Mori
is a Japanese politician who served as the 85th and 86th Prime Minister of Japan starting at 5 April 2000 ending 26 April 2001. Described as having "the heart of a flea and the brain of a shark," he was an unpopular prime minister mainly remembered today for his many gaffes and situationally...
. On December 5, 2000, he became Minister of Education, Science, Sports and Culture and Director-General of the Science and Technology Agency, before becoming Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on January 6, 2001.
He was 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...
under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
Junichiro Koizumi
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics when his term in parliament ended.Widely seen as a maverick leader of the Liberal Democratic Party , he became known as an economic reformer, focusing on Japan's government debt and the...
from September 27, 2004 to October 31, 2005. His goals included signing a treaty with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
resolving a border dispute, and investigating the whereabouts of Japanese hostages who were kidnapped
North Korean abductions of Japanese
The abductions of Japanese citizens from Japan by agents of the North Korean government happened during a period of six years from 1977 to 1983. Although only 17 Japanese are officially recognized by the Japanese government as having been abducted, there may have been as many as 70 to 80...
by North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n agents during the 1970s and 1980s. He was replaced by Tarō Asō
Taro Aso
was the 92nd Prime Minister of Japan serving from September 2008 to September 2009, and was defeated in the August 2009 election.He has served in the House of Representatives since 1979. He was Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2007, and was Secretary-General of the LDP briefly in 2007 and...
in the cabinet reshuffle that followed the September 11, 2005 election.
He was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs again by Prime Minister Shinzō Abe
Shinzo Abe
was the 90th Prime Minister of Japan, elected by a special session of the National Diet on 26 September 2006. He was Japan's youngest post–World War II prime minister and the first born after the war. Abe served as prime minister for nearly twelve months, before resigning on 12 September 2007...
on August 27, 2007. In 2006, Machimura became chairman of the Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai, the LDP's largest faction. As such, on September 14, 2007 he backed Yasuo Fukuda's bid to become Abe's successor, following Abe's resignation on September 12. Since 2007, Machimura co-chairs his faction alongside Hidenao Nakagawa
Hidenao Nakagawa
is a Japanese politician who is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and the House of Representatives of the Diet . He served Yoshirō Mori as Chief Cabinet Secretary from July 2000 to October 2000. In 2006 he was appointed secretary-general of the party.-References:...
and Shūzen Tanigawa
Shuzen Tanigawa
is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet . A native of Amagasaki, Hyogo and graduate of Osaka University, he joined the government of Osaka Prefecture in 1957...
.
In Fukuda's government, sworn in on September 26, 2007, Machimura became Chief Cabinet Secretary and State Minister in charge of Abduction Issues
North Korean abductions of Japanese
The abductions of Japanese citizens from Japan by agents of the North Korean government happened during a period of six years from 1977 to 1983. Although only 17 Japanese are officially recognized by the Japanese government as having been abducted, there may have been as many as 70 to 80...
. He was replaced by Takeo Kawamura
Takeo Kawamura (politician)
is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Hagi, Yamaguchi and graduate of Keio University, he worked at Seibu Oil from 1967 to 1976...
in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Taro Aso
Taro Aso
was the 92nd Prime Minister of Japan serving from September 2008 to September 2009, and was defeated in the August 2009 election.He has served in the House of Representatives since 1979. He was Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2007, and was Secretary-General of the LDP briefly in 2007 and...
, which was appointed on 24 September 2008.
He is the vice president of the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union
Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union
The is a super-governmental organization which promotes a strengthening of relations between the People's Republic of China and Japan. Its president is Foreign Minister Masahiko Kōmura while its vice president is Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura....
.
Personal life
On December 18, 2007, Machimura said at an official press conference that he believes in the existence of UFOsUnidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
.
The Shukan Bunshun weekly quoted him as saying, “No matter what it looks like, the United States is a very conservative country.”
“Obama is black and Hillary is a woman. I guess it would be difficult for them to win,”the government’s chief spokesman, was quoted as saying in a gathering with reporters in February, 2008.
“It will likely be McCain who will win the race in the end.”
However, his rebuttal to the magazine states that his best friend was African-American when he studied at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, he was quoted as saying “It’s not in my mindset to discriminate against black people or women, “In fact, Secretary of State (Condoleezza) Rice was the person I trusted the most when I was foreign minister.”