Toshimitsu Motegi | |
|---|---|
茂木 敏充 | |
.jpg) Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| Assumed office 21 October 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Sanae Takaichi |
| Preceded by | Takeshi Iwaya |
| In office 11 September 2019 – 4 November 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Shinzo Abe Yoshihide Suga Fumio Kishida |
| Preceded by | Tarō Kōno |
| Succeeded by | Yoshimasa Hayashi |
| Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party | |
| In office 4 November 2021 – 30 September 2024 | |
| President | Fumio Kishida |
| Vice President | Tarō Asō |
| Preceded by | Akira Amari |
| Succeeded by | Hiroshi Moriyama |
| Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy | |
| In office 3 August 2017 – 11 September 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Shinzo Abe |
| Preceded by | Nobuteru Ishihara |
| Succeeded by | Yasutoshi Nishimura |
| Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry | |
| In office 26 December 2012 – 3 September 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Shinzo Abe |
| Preceded by | Yukio Edano |
| Succeeded by | Yūko Obuchi |
| Member of theHouse of Representatives | |
| Assumed office 19 July 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Constituency | Tochigi 2nd (1993–1996) Tochigi 5th (1996–present) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1955-10-07)7 October 1955 (age 70) Ashikaga, Tochigi, Japan |
| Political party | LDP (since 1994) |
| Other political affiliations | JNP (1993–1994) |
| Alma mater | University of Tokyo Harvard University |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Official website |
Toshimitsu Motegi (茂木 敏充,Motegi Toshimitsu; born 7 October 1955) is a Japanesepolitician who is serving asMinister for Foreign Affairs and as a member of theHouse of Representatives. He has previously served asMinister for Foreign Affairs from 2019 to 2021, and as Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry from 2012 to 2014. He served as the Secretary-General of theLiberal Democratic Party from 2021 to 2024. He was the leader of theHeisei Kenkyūkai faction within the LDP, before its dissolution in 2024.[1]
A native ofAshikaga, Tochigi, Motegi was born on 7 October 1955.[2] He graduated from theUniversity of Tokyo in 1978 and worked for the trading companyMarubeni Corporation until 1980. He received a post-graduateMaster of Public Policy degree from theJohn F. Kennedy School of Government in 1983, and worked as a management consultant forMcKinsey & Company from 1984 to 1992.[2][3][4]
He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in the1993 general election as a member of theJapan New Party, representing the Tochigi 5th district. He changed his political affiliation to theLiberal Democratic Party in 1994, when JNP was dissolved.[5]
He was appointed Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs in October 2002 under Prime MinisterJunichiro Koizumi. Koizumi then promoted him to Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs, Science and Technology Policy, and Information Technology in September 2003, and on 1 August 2008, Prime MinisterYasuo Fukuda appointed him as State Minister in Charge of Financial Services and Administrative Reform.
Within theLiberal Democratic Party, Motegi is the acting chairman of the Takeshita faction, the party's third-largest with 52 members.
Following the LDP's victory in the2012 general election, resulting inShinzo Abe's election as prime minister, Motegi was named Minister for Economy, Trade, and Industry.
He left the Cabinet in September 2014 to serve as Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party Election Committee. He was appointed Chairman of the LDP Policy Council in August 2016.[3]
Motegi was appointed Minister for Economic Revitalization and State Minister for Economic and Fiscal Policy in 2017.[3] As minister, he was sent as a special envoy to sign theComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership in Santiago, Chile.[6] In August 2019, Motegi led negotiations withU.S. Trade RepresentativeRobert Lighthizer to finalize a new trade pact between Japan and the United States.[7]Nikkei dubbed Motegi "Japan's 'Trump whisperer'" in recognition of his role in negotiating with US PresidentDonald Trump and his administration.[8] Abe appointed Motegi as foreign minister in September 2019 in recognition of this success.[9]
In 2018, Motegi was revealed to have possibly breached Japan's electoral laws. He was accused of making illegal donations of incense sticks to his constituents through his personal secretary. Opposition parties called for his resignation.[10] He was active in gathering support for Abe's re-election as president of the Liberal Democratic Party that year.[9]
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After Abe's resignation as prime minister, his successorYoshihide Suga opted to retain Motegi as foreign minister after taking office in September 2020. As Suga was known to be weak in foreign affairs, this gave Motegi an opportunity to build his reputation and brand, while maintaining the foreign policy initiatives from the Abe government.[11]
In October 2020, Motegi met withU.K. International Trade SecretaryLiz Truss to sign a bilateraleconomic partnership agreement estimated to raise British exports to Japan by 17.2% (¥355 billion) and Japanese exports to Britain by 79.9% (¥1.775 trillion). In the trade package, British import tariffs are expected to reduce by up to 60% forKobe beef, 31% for the Japanese chocolate snackPocky, 22% forbluefin tuna, 13% forudon noodles, and 6% forsoy sauce.[12]
After Suga's resignation as prime minister, his successorFumio Kishida opted to retain Motegi as foreign minister after taking office in October 2021.Nikkei noted that this sent a message of continuity in Japan's policies toward China and Taiwan.[13]
He was appointed Secretary-General of the LDP by LDP leader Fumio Kishida after the resignation of the previous incumbentAkira Amari following the2021 general elections. He leads one of the main factions of the LDP party and is rumored to be a potential contender to become prime minister.[14]
The relationship between Motegi and Prime Minister Kishida has been described as extremely strained. Motegi has been described as intensely passionate in his attempt to succeed Kishida as prime minister, and Kishida has dedicated a significant amount of time to disrupting him; with factionalism now in peril due to the2023–2024 Japanese slush fund scandal, Motegi's future within the party has been described as possibly in danger. Kishida has also allegedly been dedicating time to blocking Motegi from attempting to pursue his ambition further.[15][16]
Motegi ran in the2024 LDP Presidential election to succeed Kishida but only won 6.39% of the votes in the first round. Only a few cabinet posts were given to members of his faction, theHeisei Kenkyūkai; this was seen as punishment for Motegi backingSanae Takaichi againstShigeru Ishiba in the second round of the LDP presidential election.[17]
In September 2025, followingShigeru Ishiba's resignation as prime minister, Motegi became the first candidate to declare their candidacy in the2025 LDP Presidential election.[18] He was eliminated in the first round on 4 October.[19]
AfterSanae Takaichi became prime minister, she picked Motegi to be theMinister for Foreign Affairs in her cabinet.[20]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs 2003–2004 | Succeeded by |
| Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy 2003–2004 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Financial Services 2007–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry 2012–2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy 2017–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 2019–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 2025–present | Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chief of the Public Relations Headquarters, Liberal Democratic Party 2010–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Policy Research Council, Liberal Democratic Party 2011-2012 | |
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Election Strategy Committee, Liberal Democratic Party 2014-2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Policy Research Council, Liberal Democratic Party 2016-2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party 2021–2024 | Succeeded by |
Foreign ministers of theG20 | |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Academics | |
