Shizuka Kamei
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese politician.
in Hiroshima Prefecture
into a poor family. He studied at the department of economics at University of Tokyo
and worked his way through school through various jobs, including singing at a cabaret.
Upon graduation in 1960, he entered Sumitomo Seika, and joined the National Police Agency
in 1962. In 1972, he took charge of a number of high profile cases, including the Red Army Asama-Sanso incident
, the Narita Airport incident, and the Tel Aviv
highjacking. Kamei is one of the few major politicians to oppose the death penalty, and wrote a book, Shikei Haishi ron, asserting his opposition.
(LDP).
In 1989, he formed the Freedom Reform Alliance, criticizing the LDP's system of factions and strongly supported Shintarō Ishihara
. He became Minister of Exports in 1994 and Minister of Construction in 1996. In 1998, he left the Mitsuzuka faction and formed the "Nakayama-Kamei group" with Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Nakayama
.
In 1999, he headed up the LDP's Policy Research Council and founded the Kamei faction. In 2003, he unsuccessfully ran for the position of Prime Minister against the incumbent, Junichiro Koizumi
.
He opposed Koizumi's postal privatization plan and left the LDP in 2005, forming the Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party
) with four other Diet members. Despite facing the popular businessman Takafumi Horie
in the 2005 election, he won reelection for the tenth time.
On September 16, 2009, Kamei became the banking and postal services minister in the newly formed Hatoyama cabinet. Throughout the week, he voiced his commitment to providing economic stability for small companies, whom he claimed "had lost vitality". He plans to provide a moratorium of up to three years on loan repayments and attempts to put a brake on what he perceives as excesses by financial and lending institutions.
and enjoys golf
and oil painting
. He is sometimes humorously referred to as Shizuka chan (where chan
is a title usually reserved for young girls) after a female character in the manga
Doraemon
who shares his personal name.
The character "Takeo Tsuruta" in the manga Akumetsu
is based on him.
, the largest known yakuza
syndicate in Japan. The donator was Susumu Kajiyama
.
Early life
He was born in the city of ShōbaraShobara, Hiroshima
is a city located in northeastern corner of Hiroshima, Japan. The city was founded on March 31, 1954.On March 31, 2005 the towns of Hiwa, Kuchiwa, Saijō, Takano, and Tōjō, all from Hiba District , and the town of Sōryō, from Kōnu District , were merged into the expanded city of Shōbara.The entire...
in Hiroshima Prefecture
Hiroshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima.- History :The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded...
into a poor family. He studied at the department of economics at 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...
and worked his way through school through various jobs, including singing at a cabaret.
Upon graduation in 1960, he entered Sumitomo Seika, and joined the National Police Agency
National Police Agency (Japan)
The is an agency administered by the National Public Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office in the cabinet of Japan, and is the central coordinating agency of the Japanese police system....
in 1962. In 1972, he took charge of a number of high profile cases, including the Red Army Asama-Sanso incident
Asama-Sanso incident
The was a hostage crisis and police siege in a mountain lodge near Karuizawa, Nagano prefecture, Japan that lasted from February 19, 1972 to February 28, 1972...
, the Narita Airport incident, and the Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
highjacking. Kamei is one of the few major politicians to oppose the death penalty, and wrote a book, Shikei Haishi ron, asserting his opposition.
Political career
In 1977, he left the agency and received 3.5 million yen in severance pay, which he used to run for the Diet in Hiroshima. He was elected in 1979 as a member of the Liberal Democratic PartyLiberal 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...
(LDP).
In 1989, he formed the Freedom Reform Alliance, criticizing the LDP's system of factions and strongly supported Shintarō Ishihara
Shintaro Ishihara
is a Japanese author, actor, politician and the governor of Tokyo since 1999.- Early life and artistic career :Shintarō was born in Suma-ku, Kobe. His father Kiyoshi was an employee, later a general manager, of a shipping company. Shintarō grew up in Zushi...
. He became Minister of Exports in 1994 and Minister of Construction in 1996. In 1998, he left the Mitsuzuka faction and formed the "Nakayama-Kamei group" with Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Nakayama
Taro Nakayama
is a Japanese doctor and politician serving in the House of Representatives in the Diet as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. A native of Osaka he received a Ph.D in medicine from Osaka Medical College in 1960 for the study of infantile paralysis...
.
In 1999, he headed up the LDP's Policy Research Council and founded the Kamei faction. In 2003, he unsuccessfully ran for the position of Prime Minister against the incumbent, 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...
.
He opposed Koizumi's postal privatization plan and left the LDP in 2005, forming the Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party
People's New Party
The People's New Party is a centre-right, Conservative, Japanese political party formed on 17 August 2005 in the aftermath of the defeat of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Japan Post privatisation bills which led to a snap election.-History:The Kokumin Shinto, headed by Shizuka Kamei, includes...
) with four other Diet members. Despite facing the popular businessman Takafumi Horie
Takafumi Horie
is a Japanese entrepreneur who founded Livedoor, a website design operation that grew into a popular internet portal. After being arrested on accusations of securities fraud in 2006, he severed all connections with the company. He was granted bail, and the trial began on September 4, 2006...
in the 2005 election, he won reelection for the tenth time.
On September 16, 2009, Kamei became the banking and postal services minister in the newly formed Hatoyama cabinet. Throughout the week, he voiced his commitment to providing economic stability for small companies, whom he claimed "had lost vitality". He plans to provide a moratorium of up to three years on loan repayments and attempts to put a brake on what he perceives as excesses by financial and lending institutions.
Trivia
Kamei is a six-level blackbelt in AikidoAikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
and enjoys golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
and oil painting
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
. He is sometimes humorously referred to as Shizuka chan (where chan
Japanese titles
The Japanese language uses a broad array of honorific suffixes for addressing or referring to people, for example -san, as in Daniel-san. These honorifics are gender-neutral , though some are more used for men or women and can be attached to first names as well as...
is a title usually reserved for young girls) after a female character in the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
Doraemon
Doraemon
is a Japanese manga series created by Fujiko F. Fujio which later became an anime series and an Asian franchise...
who shares his personal name.
The character "Takeo Tsuruta" in the manga Akumetsu
Akumetsu
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written by Yoshiaki Tabata and illustrated by Yuki Yugo. Akumetsu was serialized in Akita Shoten's Weekly Shōnen Champion from 2002 to 2006.-Plot:...
is based on him.
Scandal
In August 2003, Kamei acknowledged receiving political donations from the leader of a group of loan sharks affiliated to the Yamaguchi-gumiYamaguchi-gumi
is Japan's largest and most infamous yakuza organization. It is named after its founder Harukichi Yamaguchi. Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for dockworkers in Kobe pre-WWII....
, the largest known yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
syndicate in Japan. The donator was Susumu Kajiyama
Susumu Kajiyama
is a retired yakuza best known for his arrest in 2003, who was dubbed the "loan shark king". He has been introduced as a senior member of the Shizuoka-based Goryo-kai, a secondary organization of Japan's largest yakuza syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi, although he was technically not a member of the...
.