Yasuo Fukuda
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| Yasuo Fukuda | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 26 September 2007 |
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| Monarch | Akihito |
| Preceded by | Shinzo Abe |
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| In office October 2000 – 7 May 2004 |
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| Prime Minister | Yoshiro Mori Junichiro Koizumi |
| Preceded by | Hidenao Nakagawa |
| Succeeded by | Hiroyuki Hosoda |
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Representative of the 4th Gunma Prefecture
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1996 |
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| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Majority | 118,517 (62.83%) |
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| Born | 16 July 1936 Takasaki, Gunma, Japan |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic Party |
| Spouse | Kiyoko Fukuda |
Yasuo Fukuda (福田 康夫 Fukuda Yasuo?, born July 16, 1936) is the 91st Prime Minister of Japan and the president of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan. He was appointed to both posts in September 2007, following Shinzo Abe's abrupt resignation.
Fukuda was the longest-serving Chief Cabinet Secretary in Japanese history, serving for three and half years under Prime Ministers Yoshiro Mori and Junichiro Koizumi.[1] He is the first son of a former Japanese Prime Minister (Takeo Fukuda) to also take up the post.
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[edit] Early life
Fukuda was born in Takasaki, Gunma, the eldest son of politician (later the 67th Prime Minister) Takeo Fukuda.[1] He grew up in Setagaya, Tokyo, attending Azabu High School and graduating from Waseda University in 1959 with a degree in economics.
After university, he joined Maruzen Petroleum (now part of the Cosmo Oil Company). He was only minimally involved in politics over the next seventeen years, working his way up to section chief as a typical Japanese "salaryman". He was posted to the United States from 1962 to 1964.
While his father Takeo Fukuda was prime minister from 1976 to 1978, Yasuo became a political secretary. From 1978 to 1989, he was a director of the Kinzai Institute for Financial Affairs, serving as a trustee from 1986 onward.
[edit] Political career
Fukuda ran for the House of Representatives in 1990 and won a seat.[1] He was elected deputy director of the Liberal Democratic Party in 1997 and became Chief Cabinet Secretary to Yoshiro Mori in October 2000. He resigned his position as Chief Cabinet Secretary on May 7, 2004 amid a large political scandal related to the Japanese pension system.
Fukuda was considered a contender for the leadership of the LDP in 2006, but on July 21 he decided that he would not seek the nomination. Instead, Shinzo Abe succeeded Junichiro Koizumi as leader of the LDP and Prime Minister of Japan.
One of his most noted policy goals is to end prime ministerial visits to Yasukuni Shrine. In June 2006, Fukuda joined 134 other lawmakers in proposing a secular alternative to the shrine, citing constitutional concerns.[2]
[edit] Statements on "Super Free"
When Fukuda was Chief Cabinet Secretary to former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, he was reported to have made highly controversial comments during an off-the-record discussion with reporters in June 2003 regarding the victims of rape by male members of the Waseda University "Super Free" club[3], according to an article in the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun.[4] The magazine quoted Fukuda as saying: "There are women who look like they are saying 'Do it to me'. Those who have that kind of appearance are at fault, because men are black panthers." In response, Fukuda claimed that the Shukan Bunshun had distorted his comments, stating that he had never intended to defend rape, and told a parliamentary panel afterwards that rape was "a criminal act and an atrocious crime".[5][6]
[edit] Election as Prime Minister
Following Abe's resignation in September 2007, Fukuda announced that he would run in the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election, which would also determine the prime minister, given the LDP's majority in the House of Representatives. Fukuda received a great deal of support in his bid, including that of the LDP's largest faction, led by Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura, of which Fukuda is a member.[1] Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga, who initially had intended to run for the leadership, also backed Fukuda.[7] Fukuda's only competitor for the leadership, Taro Aso, publicly acknowledged the likelihood of his own defeat a week before the election.[8]
In the election, on September 23, Fukuda defeated Aso, receiving 330 votes against Aso's 197.[9] Fukuda was formally elected as Japan's 91st prime minister on September 25.[10] He received 338 votes, almost 100 more than necessary for a majority, in the House of Representatives; although the House of Councillors (the upper house), led by the opposition Democratic Party, elected Ichiro Ozawa over Fukuda by a margin of 133 to 106. This deadlock was then resolved in favor of the lower house's choice, according to Article 67 of the Constitution.[10][11]
Fukuda and his cabinet were formally sworn in by Emperor Akihito on September 26.[12]
[edit] Refueling debate
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One of the major issues during Fukuda's first months in office was the status of Japan's Indian Ocean refueling mission. After the September 11th terrorist attacks and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan, the Diet passed a bill that allowed Japanese oil tankers to provide fuel for American ships involved in military operations. When Fukuda became Prime Minister he vowed to continue the mission, this despite the fact that the DPJ which opposed the authorization bill now had a majority in the upper house. After several months of debate and aborted attempts at compromise the upper house rejected the a bill to continue the mission. However, the bill ultimately became law as Fukuda used the LDP's 2/3 majority in the lower house to win successful passage for the bill.
[edit] Censure motion
On June 11, 2008, a non-binding censure motion was passed by parliament's opposition-controlled upper house against Yasuo Fukuda. Filed by the Democratic Party of Japan and two other parties, it was the first censure motion against a prime minister under Japan's post-war constitution. Ahead of the G8 summit, it attacked his handling of domestic issues including an unpopular medical plan and called for a snap election or his resignation. On Thursday, June 12, a motion of confidence was passed by the lower house's ruling coalition to counter the censure.[13][14][15][16]
[edit] Cabinet
Fukuda's cabinet was formed on September 26, 2007.[17] It was almost identical to Abe's.[18] Since his administration started in September, their approval rating has continually dropped. According to Asahi Shimbun newspaper, in late April the disapproval rating of the Cabinet was 60 percent and the approval rating 25 percent. [19]
| Secretary | Nobutaka Machimura |
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| Internal Affairs | Hiroya Masuda |
| Justice | Kunio Hatoyama |
| Foreign Affairs | Masahiko Komura |
| Finance | Fukushiro Nukaga |
| Education | Kisaburo Tokai |
| Health | Yoichi Masuzoe |
| Agriculture | Masatoshi Wakabayashi |
| Economy | Akira Amari |
| Land | Tetsuzo Fuyushiba |
| Environment | Ichiro Kamoshita |
| Defense | Shigeru Ishiba |
| Public Safety, Disaster Prevention |
Shinya Izumi |
| Economic Policy | Hiroko Ota |
| Financial Services, Administrative Reform |
Yoshimi Watanabe |
| Okinawa and Northern Territories, Technology Policy, Regulatory Reform |
Fumio Kishida |
| Population, Youth and Gender Equality | Yoko Kamikawa |
[edit] Gallery
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 Fukuda (left) and United States President George W. Bush (right) exchange handshakes following their joint statement at the White House, November 16, 2007. |
 Fukuda and United States President George W. Bush exchange handshakes following their first meeting at the White House. |
 Robert M. Gates meets with Yasuo Fukuda. |
 Kiyoko Fukuda (wife of Yasuo Fukuda) and Laura Bush. |
[edit] Decorations
In March 2008, Croatian President Stjepan Mesić presented Fukuda with the Grand Order of Queen Jelena with the Sash and the Croatian Morning Star.[20] The decoration was given to Fukuda for his efforts in promoting friendly relations between Japan and Croatia.[21]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Keiichi Yamamura and Sachiko Sakamaki, "Fukuda Challenges Aso in Race to Be Prime Minister", Bloomberg.com, September 14, 2007.
- ^ "Japan lawmakers seek to replace war shrine," Shanghai Daily, June 16, 2006.
- ^ "Rape Debate In Japan", CBS, 2003-09-02. Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
- ^ Fukuda accused of defending rape Japan Times, July 4, 2003
- ^ "Japan rape victims 'asking for it'," BBC News, July 3, 2003.
- ^ "Fukuda denies making remarks defending alleged gang rapists, Kyodo, July 8, 2003
- ^ "Japan's finance chief not to run for ruling party president", Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), September 14, 2007.
- ^ "Former FM Aso acknowledges probable defeat in Japan's leadership race", Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), September 16, 2007.
- ^ "Fukuda Chosen to Replace Abe as Japan's Prime Minister", VOA News, September 23, 2007.
- ^ a b LDP leader Fukuda elected prime minister. Mainichi Daily News (2007-09-25). Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
- ^ "Fukuda installed as Japanese PM", BBC News, September 25, 2007.
- ^ "Japan's new leadership sworn in", BBC News, September 26, 2007.
- ^ news.bbc.co.uk, Censure passed against Japan PM
- ^ afp.google.com, Japan PM humiliated by parliament
- ^ www.upi.com, Censure motion offered against Fukuda
- ^ Boost for Japan's beleaguered PM BBC News
- ^ "Members of the Abe Cabinet". Retrieved on 2007-09-28. NB: Despite the title of the page it is indeed the list of members of Fukuda Cabinet.
- ^ Masami Ito. "Fukuda elected prime minister in Diet faceoff", The Japan Times, 2007-09-26. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
- ^ "Support rate for Fukuda plummets to 25%", The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
- ^ "President Mesić meets Japanese Emperor Akihito", HINA, 2008-03-05. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ "Japan-Croatia Summit Meeting", Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet, 2008-03-05. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
[edit] See also
- Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-IV), 2008.
[edit] External links
- Smith: Fukuda, A Moderate Japanese Prime Minister Council on Foreign Relations
- (Japanese) Official website
- http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?Itemid=31&id=802&option=com_content&task=view
- http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0XPQ/is_2008_Jan_14/ai_n24270128
| House of Representatives of Japan | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Takeo Fukuda Yasuhiro Nakasone Keizo Obuchi Tsuruo Yamaguchi |
Representative for Gunma 3rd District (multi-member) 1990 – 1996 |
Succeeded by Office abolished |
| New title New constituency
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Representative for Gunma 4th District 1996 – present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Shinzo Abe |
Prime Minister of Japan 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Angela Merkel Germany |
Chair of the G8 2008 |
Succeeded by Silvio Berlusconi Italy |
| Preceded by Hidenao Nakagawa |
Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan 2000 – 2004 |
Succeeded by Hiroyuki Hosoda |
| Preceded by Hidenao Nakagawa |
Minister for Okinawa Development 2000 |
Succeeded by Ryutaro Hashimoto |
| New title | Minister of State for Gender Equality and Social Affairs 2001 – 2004 |
Succeeded by Kuniko Inoguchi |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Shinzo Abe |
President of the Liberal Democratic Party 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
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