Yoichi Masuzoe
Encyclopedia
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 and a member of the House of Councillors
House of Councillors
The is the upper house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or designation of the prime minister, the House of Representatives...
who was Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare
Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan)
The , or , is the Cabinet of Japan member in charge of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. As of 2 September 2011, the current minister is Yoko Komiyama.-References:...
from 2007 to 2009. He is also a well-known face on Japanese TV shows.
Career
Masuzoe was born in Yahata (current Yahata Higashi-ku, KitakyūshūYahata Higashi-ku, Kitakyushu
is a ward of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, Japan. It is the second smallest ward in Kitakyūshū after Tobata ward at only 36.36 square kilometres. Residents have a very high average age, one of the highest in Japan. The population was 77,077 at the end of September 2003....
), Fukuoka Prefecture
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
on 29 November 1948. After graduating from Yahata High School, he entered Tokyo University. Masuzoe majored in the research of French political procedures. On graduating, Masuzoe became an academic assistant at Tokyo University. Later, Masuzoe became well-known as a political analyst and TV commentator.
He ran for Governor of Tokyo in 1999.
Entering politics, he won his first Diet seat in the Upper House in 2001 with the largest number of ballots in the national proportional representation section of the House of Councilors. He is currently serving his second term in the Upper House. During his tenure, Masuzoe led the handling of a pension scandal and hepatitis C
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease primarily affecting the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus . The infection is often asymptomatic, but chronic infection can lead to scarring of the liver and ultimately to cirrhosis, which is generally apparent after many years...
lawsuits against the state. He advocated a tough approach to bureaucrats caught embezzling.
In August 2007, Masuzoe was appointed as Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare
Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan)
The , or , is the Cabinet of Japan member in charge of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. As of 2 September 2011, the current minister is Yoko Komiyama.-References:...
. He also serves as a member of the LDP's panel to draw up a new Constitution. 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...
, appointed on 24 September 2008, Masuzoe was retained as Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare.
In April 2010, Masuzoe left the LDP and formed a splinter group called Shintō Kaikaku (New Party for Reform). The party's platform included a call for decentralization
Decentralization
__FORCETOC__Decentralization or decentralisation is the process of dispersing decision-making governance closer to the people and/or citizens. It includes the dispersal of administration or governance in sectors or areas like engineering, management science, political science, political economy,...
, deregulation, and a halving of the number of Diet members.
Personal life
Masuzoe has married three times. His second wife was Satsuki KatayamaSatsuki Katayama
is a Japanese politician and bureaucrat. She was a member of Japan's House of Representatives for about four years, representing the Shizuoka No. 7 district. She is also a former officer of the Ministry of Finance. She is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party....
, also a Japanese politician.
TV appearances
Masuzoe has appeared on a number of TV discussion programmes, including Asa made nama Terebi (late-night live TV programme with lively discussion of political issues) and TV Tackle, a humorous political discussion show hosted by Beat TakeshiTakeshi Kitano
is a Japanese filmmaker, comedian, singer, actor, film editor, presenter, screenwriter, author, poet, painter, and one-time video game designer who has received critical acclaim, both in his native Japan and abroad, for his highly idiosyncratic cinematic work. The famed Japanese film critic...
.