Morihiro Hosokawa
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese 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
(LDP) government since 1955.
. He is the grandson of former Japanese Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe
. Owing to his birth, he was born a marquis, but lost the title in 1947 at the age of nine when the kazoku
, or peerage was abolished by the American occupation government.
He received his LL.B. from Sophia University
in 1961. After working for the newspaper the Asahi Shimbun
as journalist for several years, he was elected to the House of Councillors of Japan as a member of the LDP in 1971, representing Kumamoto Prefecture
.
After serving two terms in the National Diet
, he left in 1983 to become the governor of Kumamoto, where he served until 1991.
In 1992, he announced that he could no longer stand the corruption in the LDP and left in order to found the reformist Japan New Party
(JNP).
which promised a series of social, political, and economic reforms. Excluding the JCP
, the coalition was backed by all of the former opposition parties, which included the newly formed JNP, the Japan Socialist Party, the Japan Renewal Party
(Shinseito), Komeito, the Democratic Socialist Party
, the Socialist Democratic Federation
, the RENGO
and the New Party Sakigake
. Hosokawa, one of the major voices in forming the coalition, was chosen as the new Prime Minister.
One of the first things the newly elected PM did was to say what no other Japanese leader, including the Emperor
, had said for forty-eight years. In his August 15, 1993 speech at the annual war memorial services, he publicly acknowledged that World War II
was a "war of aggression, a mistaken war" and expressed responsibility and condolences to the war victims and survivors, in Japan, its Asian neighbors, and the rest of the world.
On November 6, 1993, he visited South Korea
. On March 19, 1994, he visited China
, and the two governments signed an agreement of cooperation in environmental protection.
Although his coalition managed to secure passage of legislation to reform the electoral system in 1994, the subject of a long-running national debate, Hosokawa’s run as PM was short lived. Under allegations that he had misused personal funds in the 1980s, he was forced to resign later that year, just eight months after taking office. After his resignation, the coalition was taken over by the Shinseito president Tsutomu Hata
.
(DPJ) in 1998 from which he retired from politics in May of that year.
In his retirement, he has taken up pottery
which has been exhibited in Japan
and Europe
. He is also a tea master and a special consultant to The Japan Times
. Upon his father's death in 2005, Hosokawa succeeded him as the head of the Hosokawa family.
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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...
who was the 79th Prime Minister of Japan
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
from August 9, 1993 to April 28, 1994. His coalition was the first non-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...
(LDP) government since 1955.
Early life
Hosokawa Morihiro was born in Tokyo as the eldest son of Marquis Morisada Hosokawa, the head of the Hosokawa clanHosokawa clan
The ' was a Japanese samurai clan, descended from Emperor Seiwa and a branch of the Minamoto clan, by the Ashikaga clan. It produced many prominent officials in the Ashikaga shogunate's administration. In the Edo period, the Hosokawa clan was one of the largest landholding daimyo families in Japan...
. He is the grandson of former Japanese Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe
Fumimaro Konoe
Prince was a politician in the Empire of Japan who served as the 34th, 38th and 39th Prime Minister of Japan and founder/leader of the Taisei Yokusankai.- Early life :...
. Owing to his birth, he was born a marquis, but lost the title in 1947 at the age of nine when the kazoku
Kazoku
The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan that existed between 1869 and 1947.-Origins:Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the ancient court nobility of Kyoto regained some of its lost status...
, or peerage was abolished by the American occupation government.
He received his LL.B. from Sophia University
Sophia University
There are several rankings below related to Sophia University.-General Rankings:The university was ranked 61st in 2010 in the ranking Truly Strong Universities by Toyo Keizai...
in 1961. After working for the newspaper the Asahi Shimbun
Asahi Shimbun
The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...
as journalist for several years, he was elected to the House of Councillors of Japan as a member of the LDP in 1971, representing Kumamoto Prefecture
Kumamoto Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.- History :Historically the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system...
.
After serving two terms in the National Diet
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
, he left in 1983 to become the governor of Kumamoto, where he served until 1991.
In 1992, he announced that he could no longer stand the corruption in the LDP and left in order to found the reformist Japan New Party
Japan New Party
The Japan New Party was a Japanese political party that existed briefly from 1992 to 1994. It should not be confused with the New Party Nippon founded in 2005....
(JNP).
Prime minister
In the summer of 1993, in a change very few had foreseen even a year earlier, the LDP lost its majority in the Diet for the first time in thirty-eight years and was replaced by an eight-party coalition governmentCoalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
which promised a series of social, political, and economic reforms. Excluding the JCP
Japanese Communist Party
The Japanese Communist Party is a left-wing political party in Japan.The JCP advocates the establishment of a society based on socialism, democracy and peace, and opposition to militarism...
, the coalition was backed by all of the former opposition parties, which included the newly formed JNP, the Japan Socialist Party, the Japan Renewal Party
Japan Renewal Party
The Japan Renewal Party was a Japanese political party that existed in the early 1990s. It was founded in 1993 by 44 members of the Liberal Democratic Party led by Tsutomu Hata and Ichirō Ozawa...
(Shinseito), Komeito, the Democratic Socialist Party
Democratic Socialist Party (Japan)
The was a social democratic party in Japan.- History :The Democratic Socialist Party was established in 1960 by a breakaway group of the Japan Socialist Party. It was made up of many members of the former Rightist Socialist Party of Japan, a moderate social-democratic faction that existed...
, the Socialist Democratic Federation
Socialist Democratic Federation (Japan)
The , also referred to in Japanese by the shortened , was a Japanese political party that existed from 1978 to 1994. It was formed from the merger of the and the .- Socialist Citizen Federation :...
, the RENGO
RENGO
-External links:...
and 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...
. Hosokawa, one of the major voices in forming the coalition, was chosen as the new Prime Minister.
One of the first things the newly elected PM did was to say what no other Japanese leader, including the Emperor
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
, had said for forty-eight years. In his August 15, 1993 speech at the annual war memorial services, he publicly acknowledged that World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was a "war of aggression, a mistaken war" and expressed responsibility and condolences to the war victims and survivors, in Japan, its Asian neighbors, and the rest of the world.
On November 6, 1993, he visited South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. On March 19, 1994, he visited China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and the two governments signed an agreement of cooperation in environmental protection.
Although his coalition managed to secure passage of legislation to reform the electoral system in 1994, the subject of a long-running national debate, Hosokawa’s run as PM was short lived. Under allegations that he had misused personal funds in the 1980s, he was forced to resign later that year, just eight months after taking office. After his resignation, the coalition was taken over by the Shinseito president Tsutomu Hata
Tsutomu Hata
is a Japanese politician and was the 80th Prime Minister of Japan for 9 weeks in 1994.He was born in Tokyo, a son of the Liberal Democratic Party Member of Parliament Bushiro Hata. Hata graduated from Seijo University and was employed by the Odakyu bus company from 1958 to 1969...
.
Cabinet
| Chief Cabinet Secretary | Masayoshi Takemura Masayoshi Takemura is a Japanese politician. Elected as a representative of the Liberal Democratic Party, in 1993 he broke away to form New Party Sakigake, before joining the newly formed Democratic Party of Japan in 1997... (Sakigake) |
| Foreign Affairs | Tsutomu Hata Tsutomu Hata is a Japanese politician and was the 80th Prime Minister of Japan for 9 weeks in 1994.He was born in Tokyo, a son of the Liberal Democratic Party Member of Parliament Bushiro Hata. Hata graduated from Seijo University and was employed by the Odakyu bus company from 1958 to 1969... (Shinseito) |
| Justice | Akira Mikazuki (non-affiliated) |
| Finance | Hirohisa Fujii Hirohisa Fujii is a Japanese politician who is a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet and Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Japan . A native of Tokyo, graduate of the University of Tokyo and former official of the Ministry of Finance, he was elected to the House of Councilors for the... (Shinseito) |
| Education | Yoko Akamatsu (non-affiliated) |
| Health and Welfare | Keigo Ouchi (Democratic Socialist) |
| Labor | Chikara Sakaguchi Chikara Sakaguchi is a Japanese politician.He was born in Mie Prefecture and obtained an MD from Mie University. In 1976, he ran for the House of Representatives as a member of Komeitō, and won a proportional representation seat from the Tokai bloc.... (Komeito) |
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | Eijiro Hata (Shinseito) |
| International Trade and Industry | Hiroshi Kumagai (Shinseito) |
| Transport | Shigeru Ito (Socialist) |
| Construction | Kozo Igarashi (Socialist) |
| Home Affairs and National Public Safety Commission National Public Safety Commission (Japan) The is a Japanese Cabinet Office commission. It is headquartered in the 2nd Building of the Central Common Government Office at 2-1-2 Kasumigasaeki in Chiyoda, Tokyo.... |
Kanju Sato (Socialist) |
| Posts and Telecommunications | Takenori Kanzaki Takenori Kanzaki is a Japanese politician of the New Komeito Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . He was born in Tianjin, China during the time part of China was under Japanese occupation. A graduate of the University of Tokyo, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first... (Komeito) |
| Management and Coordination Agency | Koshiro Ishida (Komeito) |
| Japan Defense Agency Japan Defense Agency The is a cabinet-level ministry of the Japanese government. As a result of a law enacted on December 15, 2006, it became a ministry on January 9, 2007. Prior to that, it was the Japan Defense Agency ... |
Hiroyoshi Nakanishi (Shinseito) until December 1, 1993 Kazuo Aichi Kazuo Aichi is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Ōta, Tokyo and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1976. After losing his seat in 2000, he retired in... (Shinseito) after December 2, 1993 |
| Hokkaido and Okinawa Development, National Land Agency | Kosuke Uehara (Socialist) |
| Economic Planning Agency | Manae Kubota (Socialist) |
| Environment | Wakako Hironaka Wakako Hironaka is a Japanese writer and politician. She is a member of the House of Councillors . Her political affiliation is with the Democratic Party of Japan. Her husband is Heisuke Hironaka, a mathematician.-Politician:... (Komeito) |
| Council for Science and Technology Policy | Satsuki Eda Satsuki Eda is the first Opposition member to serve as the President of the House of Councillors in Japan. Eda had served for three terms in the House of Councillors before his election as President on August 7, 2007 after the success of the Democratic Party in the July 2007 election for the Japanese House of... (Social Democratic) |
| Minister of State | Sadao Yamahana (Socialist) |
Later political life
Hosokawa joined Shinshinto in 1996, and later moved to the Democratic Party of JapanDemocratic 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...
(DPJ) in 1998 from which he retired from politics in May of that year.
In his retirement, he has taken up pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
which has been exhibited in 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...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. He is also a tea master and a special consultant to The Japan Times
The Japan Times
The Japan Times is an English language newspaper published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri and the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization...
. Upon his father's death in 2005, Hosokawa succeeded him as the head of the Hosokawa family.
External links
- Policy speech to the 127th Session of the National Diet August 23, 1993
- Policy speech to the 128th Session of the National Diet September 21, 1993
- Policy speech to the 129th Session of the National Diet March 4, 1994
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