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Heita Kawakatsu

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Heita Kawakatsu
川勝 平太
Official portrait
Governor of Shizuoka Prefecture
In office
7 July 2009 – 10 May 2024
Preceded byYoshinobu Ishikawa
Succeeded byYasutomo Suzuki
Personal details
Born (1948-08-16) 16 August 1948 (age 76)
Osaka, Japan
Political partyNone
Alma materWaseda University
University of Oxford

Heita Kawakatsu (川勝 平太, Kawakatsu Heita, born 16 August 1948) was the governor of Shizuoka Prefecture[1] from 2009 to 2024.

Education

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He completed his D.Phil. at Wolfson College, Oxford, under Professor Peter Mathias and was Professor of Economics History at Waseda University, Tokyo. He was also Professor of Economics History and Vice Director of the International Research Centre for Japanese Studies in Kyoto and President at Shizuoka University of Arts and culture.[2] He is co-editor of many studies including Intra-Asian Trade and Industrialization and The Evolving Structure of the East Asian Economic System since 1700, both published by Routledge.[3]

Career

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A former economic historian, Kawakatsu was a professor at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto from 1998 to 2007.[4] Kawakatsu's research on "civilization theory" has been critiqued by historians such as Tessa Morris-Suzuki.[5]

He is opposed to the plan of Tokyo-Nagoya MagLev route[6] in terms of ecological system and water supply, and most importantly to protest against JR Tokai's Nozomi service passing the whole prefecture, and also to disrupt the economical growth of the country.[7] This opposition against the construction resulted in numerous condemnations and complaints, after the route was forced to postpone its completion.[8]

Gaffes and resignation

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Kawakatsu has made several gaffes during his governorship. In October 2020, he publicly insulted then-prime minister Yoshihide Suga as "undereducated" during a press conference on 7 October 2020 after the government refused to enlist six people endorsed by the Science Council of Japan.[9][10] and traveled to Karuizawa, Nagano despite the prefectural government's advise against travelling during the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2020.[11] In 2021, the Shizuoka prefectural assembly advised him to resign after he said that the city of Gotemba "only has koshihikari" as its local specialty.[12][13] In March 2024, he publicly ranked regions within the prefecture based on how "cultured" they were. He later refused to retract the statement claiming it was historically true.[14][15]

During a speech to newly employed civil servants on 1 April 2024, he made derogatory remarks comparing employees of the prefectural government with "those who sell vegetables, take care of cows or create things." The resulting uproar led to him announcing his resignation on 2 April following the June prefectural assembly.[16] However, he clarified on 3 April that he was resigning due to his opposition to the Tokyo-Nagoya MagLev route and not for his remarks, which he did not retract, although he apologized "for hurting the feelings of people working in the primary sector."[17] Despite his original intent on resigning after June to receive bonuses, he announced he will be resigning on 10 April after numerous complaints from the prefecture and among its employees.[18][19] He stated the reason for the early resignation as he succeeded to delay the opening of Chuō Shinkansen.[7] He formally submitted his resignation on 10 April, which will become effective on 10 May and triggered an election to be held on 26 May.[20] Even with his resignation, he still claimed to support the construction of Chuō Shinkansen, although this also received backlash due to his actions as governor.[19] When asked by newspapers how he felt about resigning, he recited a poem by Hosokawa Gracia.[21]

References

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  1. ^ "静岡県／ようこそ知事室へ". www.pref.shizuoka.jp. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
  2. ^ "静岡県／プロフィール【ようこそ知事室へ】". www.pref.shizuoka.jp. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
  3. ^ "Japanese Industrialization and the Asian Economy". Routledge & CRC Press. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  4. ^ "知事プロフィール | 知事検索 | 都道府県情報 | 全国知事会". www.nga.gr.jp. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  5. ^ "Re-inventing Japan: Nation, Culture, Identity". Routledge & CRC Press. pp. 145–149. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
  6. ^ "Japan maglev critic reelected in Shizuoka, claiming green mandate". Nikkei Asia. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  7. ^ a b "県議会議長「嫌がらせが成就した…役目は終わったという感じだった」 川勝知事から辞職報告受け 静岡 | ニュース | テレビ静岡". www.sut-tv.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  8. ^ "「いかにも自分の…」大村知事が川勝知事を痛烈批判 リニア巡り". 毎日新聞 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  9. ^ "学者の静岡県知事、菅総理を痛烈に批判「教養レベルが露見した」 日本学術会議問題で". LOOK 静岡朝日テレビ (in Japanese). 2020-10-08. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  10. ^ "菅首相への「教養のレベル露見」発言で注目 静岡県の川勝知事が会見で語ったこと". J-CAST ニュース (in Japanese). 2020-10-09. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  11. ^ "静岡県知事が年末年始に帰省 県民には自粛要請中". 産経ニュース (in Japanese). 2021-01-04. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  12. ^ "静岡県 川勝知事「御殿場はコシヒカリしかない」発言に苦情殺到". 2021-11-07. Archived from the original on 2021-11-07. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  13. ^ 日本放送協会. ""コシヒカリ発言"を撤回・謝罪 静岡 川勝知事が御殿場市長に". NHK政治マガジン (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  14. ^ "静岡県の川勝平太知事がまたも物議を醸す発言【音声あり】：中日新聞しずおかWeb". 中日新聞Web (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  15. ^ 共同通信 (2024-03-13). "静岡知事、磐田は浜松より文化的 「市民の共通認識」と撤回せず ｜ 共同通信". 共同通信 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  16. ^ "Shizuoka governor to resign after gaffe insulting vegetable sellers". Kyodo News. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Shizuoka gov. to quit as maglev plan delayed, not to retract comments". Kyodo News. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  18. ^ 日本放送協会 (2024-04-08). "川勝知事 10日にも辞職願提出 知事選は早ければ5月下旬実施へ | NHK". NHKニュース. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  19. ^ a b 日本放送協会 (2024-04-10). "静岡 川勝知事 辞職時期早めた理由"県政の空白短くするため" | NHK". NHKニュース. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  20. ^ "Shizuoka governor quits after disparaging comments about farmers". Kyodo News. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  21. ^ 日本放送協会 (2024-04-10). "静岡 川勝知事が退職届提出 当初の意向から時期早める | NHK". NHKニュース. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
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