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Yasuhisa Shiozaki

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Yasuhisa Shiozaki
塩崎 恭久
Official portrait, 2014
Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare
In office
3 September 2014 – 3 August 2017
Prime MinisterShinzō Abe
Preceded byNorihisa Tamura
Succeeded byKatsunobu Katō
Chief Cabinet Secretary
In office
26 September 2006 – 27 August 2007
Prime MinisterShinzō Abe
Preceded byShinzō Abe
Succeeded byKaoru Yosano
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
18 July 1993 - 6 July 1995
25 June 2000 – 14 October 2021
ConstituencyFormer Ehime 1st district
(1993-1995)
Ehime 1st district
(2000-2021)
Member of the House of Councillors
In office
23 July 1995 – 11 May 2000
ConstituencyEhime at-large district
Personal details
Born (1950-11-07) 7 November 1950 (age 74)
Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan
Political partyLiberal Democratic
ChildrenAkihisa Shiozaki
Alma materUniversity of Tokyo
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University

Yasuhisa Shiozaki (塩崎 恭久, Shiozaki Yasuhisa, b. November 7, 1950) is a Japanese politician who served as Chief Cabinet Secretary to Prime Minister Shinzō Abe until August 2007.

Early career

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Shiozaki with Michael Howard, William Hague, Hirotsugu Aida and Tim Hitchens in 2013

Born in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, he was an AFS exchange student in high school, graduated with a liberal arts degree from the University of Tokyo and attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.[1] He spent three years working at the Economic Planning Agency (of which his father, Jun Shiozaki, was then director)[citation needed] and at the Bank of Japan.[2] He then worked as a secretary to his father.

National Diet

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Following his father's resignation, he ran for the Diet in 1993 and was elected to represent the first district of Ehime. He served as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 2005 cabinet of Junichiro Koizumi and was appointed Chief Cabinet Secretary on September 26, 2006,[3] and held the position until a cabinet shuffle at the end of August 2007.[4]

His appointment as Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare in the second Abe administration was announced on September 3, 2014.[5]

Shiozaki's profile on the LDP website:[6]

  • Bank of Japan
  • Parliamentary Vice－Minister of Finance (Hashimoto Cabinet)
  • Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs (Koizumi Cabinet)
  • Chief Cabinet Secretary (Abe Cabinet)
  • Minister of State for Abduction issue (AbeCabinet)
  • Acting Chairman, Policy Research Council

Political positions

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Like most member of Shinzo Abe's Cabinet, Shiozaki is affiliated to the openly revisionist organization Nippon Kaigi.[7] He also is a member of the following right-wing group at the Diet:

  • Japan Rebirth (創生「日本」 Sōsei Nippon)
  • Nippon Kaigi Diet discussion group (日本会議国会議員懇談会 Nippon kaigi kokkai giin kondankai)
  • Conference of parliamentarians on the Shinto Association of Spiritual Leadership (神道政治連盟国会議員懇談会) - NB: SAS a.k.a. Sinseiren, Shinto Political League, Shinto Seiji Renmei Kokkai Giin Kondankai

Shiozaki gave the following answers to the questionnaire submitted by Mainichi to parliamentarians in 2012:[8]

  • no answer regarding the revision of the Constitution
  • in favor of the right of collective self-defense (revision of Article 9)
  • no answer regarding the reform of the National assembly (unicameral instead of bicameral)
  • in favor of reactivating nuclear power plants
  • against the goal of zero nuclear power by 2030s
  • in favor of the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma (Okinawa)
  • in favor of evaluating the purchase of Senkaku Islands by the Government
  • in favor of a strong attitude versus China
  • no answer regarding the participation of Japan to the Trans-Pacific Partnership
  • no answer regarding a nuclear-armed Japan
  • no answer regarding the reform of the Imperial Household that would allow women to retain their Imperial status even after marriage

On October 17, 2014, Shiozaki sent an offering ('masakaki) to the controversial Yasukuni shrine.[9]

Honours

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In July 2022, he was awarded as Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), for services to UK/Japan relations.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "SHIOZAKI Yasuhisa | Liberal Democratic Party of Japan". www.jimin.jp. Archived from the original on 2018-08-25. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  2. ^ "Yasuhisa Shiozaki". Yasuhisa Shiozaki. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  3. ^ Masaki, Hisane (September 28, 2006). "Abe's multiple policy dilemmas". Asia Times. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ Hirokawa, Takashi; Kato, Taku (August 29, 2007). "Abe Says Support Rates Are Sign of Public Approval With Cabinet". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012.
  5. ^ "Yomiuri Shimbun: "自民幹事長に谷垣法相、経産省に小渕元小子化相"".
  6. ^ Profile of Shiozaki Yasuhisa on LDP website: jimin.jp/english/profile/members/121021.html Archived 2014-12-08 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved Dec 8, 2014)
  7. ^ Abe’s reshuffle promotes right-wingers (Korea Joongang Daily - 2014/09/05)
  8. ^ Mainichi 2012: senkyo.mainichi.jp/46shu/kaihyo_area_meikan.html?mid=A38001001001
  9. ^ "Japan PM sends offering to war dead shrine, angering China" - Reuters - Oct 17, 2014
  10. ^ "Honorary Awards to Foreign Nationals in 2022". Gov.UK. 2022.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yasuhisa Shiozaki.
Political offices
Preceded by Chief Cabinet Secretary
2006–2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare
2014–2017 		Succeeded by
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