FPCJ - Member Profiles of the Aso Cabinet (inaugurated on September 24, 2008)

Member Profiles of the Aso Cabinet (inaugurated on September 24, 2008)

On September 24, 2008, Prime Minister Taro Aso formed his Cabinet, a coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito. The profiles of the new Cabinet members are as follows:

Prime Minister
Aso, Taro (68) (LDP)
Nine-term member of the House of Representatives from Fukuoka-8; LDP Secretary-General; Minister for Foreign Affairs; Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications; Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy; Director-General, Economic Planning Agency (Minister of State); LDP Deputy Secretary-General
Gakushuin University
Born September 20, 1940

Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications
Minister of State for Decentralization Reform
Sato, Tsutomu (56) (LDP)　
Four-term member of the House of Representatives from Tochigi-4; Senior Vice-Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications; Director, LDP Public Management, Homes Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Division; Parliamentary Secretary of Health, Labour and Welfare
Nihon University
Born June 20, 1952

*Mr. Tsutomu Sato, Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs, Minister of State for Disaster Management, took over the posts of Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, and Minister of State for Decentralization Reform from Mr. Kunio Hatoyama upon the latter’s resignation on June 12, 2009.

Minister of Justice
Mori, Eisuke (60) (LDP)
Six-term member of the House of Representatives from Chiba-11; Deputy Chairman, LDP General Council; Director, House of Representatives Committee on Budget; LDP Executive Deputy Secretary-General; Deputy Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare; Director, House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs; LDP Deputy Secretary-General
Tohoku University
Born August 31, 1948

Minister for Foreign Affairs
Nakasone, Hirofumi (62) (LDP)
Four-term member of the House of Councilors from Gunma; Chairman, House of Councillors Standing Committee on Discipline; Chairman, House of Councillors Standing Committee on Budget; Minister of Education, concurrently Director-General, Science and Technology Agency (Minister of State); Chairman, House of Councillors Standing Committee on Rules and Administration
Keio University
Born November 28, 1945

Minister of Finance
Minister of State for Financial Services
Yosano, Kaoru (70) (LDP)
Nine-term member of the House of Representatives from Tokyo-1; Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy; Chief Cabinet Secretary; Chairman, LDP Research Commission on the Tax System; Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy and for Financial Services; Chairman, LDP Policy Research Council
University of Tokyo
Born August 22, 1938

*Mr. Yosano took over the posts of Minister of Finance and Minister of State for Financial Services from Mr. Shoichi Nakagawa upon the latter’s resignation on February 17, 2009.

Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Shionoya, Ryu (58) (LDP)
Five-term member of the House of Representatives from Shizuoka-8; Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary; Senior Vice-Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Director, LDP Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology Division; Deputy Director-General, Management and Coordination Agency
Keio University
Born February 18, 1950

Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare
Masuzoe, Yoichi (59) (LDP)
Two-term member of the House of Councillors (proportional representation); Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare; Chairman, LDP Policy Board in the House of Councillors; Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
Born November 29, 1948

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Ishiba, Shigeru (51) (LDP)
Seven-term member of the House of Representatives from Tottori-1; Minister of Defense; Senior Vice Minister for Defense; Senior Vice Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Transport
Keio University
Born February 4, 1957

Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
Nikai, Toshihiro (69) (LDP)
Eight-term member of the House of Representatives from Wakayama-3; Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry; Chairman, LDP General Council; Director-General, LDP Election Bureau; Chairman, House of Representatives Special Committee on Postal Privatization; Minister of Transport and Director-General of the Hokkaido Development Agency
Chuo University
Born February 17, 1939

Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Kaneko, Kazuyoshi (65) (LDP)
Seven-term member of the House of Representatives from Gifu-4; Chairman, LDP Research Commission on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Budget; Deputy Chairman, LDP Research Commission on the Tax System; State Minister for Regulatory Reform, Industrial Revitalization Corporation, Administrative Reform, Special Zones for Structural Reform
Keio University
Born December 20, 1942

*Mr. Kazuyoshi Kaneko succeeded Mr. Nariaki Nakayama upon the latter's resignation on September 28, 2008.

Minister of the Environment
Saitou, Tetsuo (56) (New Komeito)
Five-term member of the House of Representatives from Chugoku district (proportional representation); Minister of the Environment; Chairman, New Komeito Policy Research Council; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Tokyo Institute of Technology
Born February 5, 1952

Minister of Defense
Hamada, Yasukazu (52) (LDP)
Five-term member of the House of Representatives from Chiba-12; Chairman, LDP Research Commission on Fishery Policies; Chairman, House of Representatives Special Committee on Prevention of International Terrorism and Japan’s Cooperation; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Security; Deputy Director-General, Defense Agency
Senshu University
Born October 21, 1955

Chief Cabinet Secretary
Minister of State for the Abduction Issue
Kawamura, Takeo (65) (LDP)
Six-term member of the House of Representatives from Yamaguchi-3; Chairman, LDP Public Relations Headquarters; Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Senior Vice-Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Justice
Keio University
Born November 10, 1942

Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission
Minister of State for Okinawa, Northern Territories Affairs, and Disaster Management
Hayashi, Motoo (62) (LDP)
Five-term member of the House of Representatives from Chiba-10; Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, Minister of State for Okinawa, Northern Territories Affairs, and Disaster Management; Visiting Professor, Nihon University; LDP Chief Deputy Secretary-General; Deputy Chairman, LDP Policy Research Council; Chairman, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Land, Infrastructure and Transport; LDP Deputy Secretary-General
Nihon University
Born January 3, 1947

*Mr. Motoo Hayashi took over the post of Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, Minister of State for Okinawa, Northern Territories Affairs, and Disaster Management from Mr. Tsutomu Sato on July 2, 2009.

Minister of State for Regulatory Reform, Administrative Reform and Civil Service Reform
Amari, Akira (59) (LDP)
Eight-term member of the House of Representatives from Kanagawa-13; Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Budget; Minister of Labour; Parliamentary Vice-Minister of International Trade and Industry
Keio University
Born August 27, 1949

Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy
Hayashi, Yoshimasa (48) (LDP)
Three-term member of the House of Councillors from Yamaguchi; Minister of Defense; Deputy Chairman, LDP Policy Research Council; Senior Vice-Minister of Cabinet Office; Member, the House of Councillors Standing Committee on Financial Affairs; Chair, the House of Councillors Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense
John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Born January 19, 1961

*Mr. Yoshimasa Hayashi took over the post of Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy from Mr. Kaoru Yosano on July 2, 2009.

Minister of State for Consumer Affairs
Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy
Minister of State for Food Safety
Noda, Seiko (Ms) (48) (LDP)
Five-term member of the House of Representatives from Gifu-1; Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy, Food Safety, Consumer Affairs and Space Policy; Director, House of Representatives Committee on Financial Affairs; Acting Chairman, LDP Public Relations Headquarters and concurrently Director, Publicity Division; Posts and Telecommunications Minister; Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Posts and Telecommunications
Sophia University
Born September 3, 1960

Minister of State for Measures for Declining Birthrate
Minister of State for Gender Equality
Obuchi, Yuko (Ms) (34) (LDP)
Third-term member of the House of Representatives from Gunma-5; Director, House of Representatives Committee on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Director, LDP Publicity Division; Vice Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Seijo University
Born December 11, 1973