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Kiichi Miyazawa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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宮澤 喜一 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Official portrait, 1991 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister of Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 5 November 1991 – 9 August 1993 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Akihito | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Toshiki Kaifu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Morihiro Hosokawa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President of the Liberal Democratic Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 31 October 1991 – 29 July 1993 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vice President | Shin Kanemaru | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secretary-General | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Toshiki Kaifu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Yōhei Kōno | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of theHouse of Representatives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 29 January 1967 – 10 October 2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | Hiroshima 3rd (1967–1996) Hiroshima 7th (1996–2000) Chūgoku PR (2000–2003) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of theHouse of Councillors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 3 May 1953 – 1 June 1965 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Tsunei Kusunose | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Masaaki Fujita | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | Hiroshima at-large | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1919-10-08)8 October 1919 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 28 June 2007(2007-06-28) (aged 87) Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Liberal Democratic (1955–2007) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations | Liberal (1950–1955) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Hiroshi Miyazawa (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Tokyo Imperial University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kiichi Miyazawa (宮澤 喜一,Miyazawa Kiichi; 8 October 1919 – 28 June 2007[1]) was a Japanese politician who served asprime minister of Japan from 1991 to 1993.
Born inTokyo,[2] Miyazawa graduated fromTokyo Imperial University with a law degree, and in 1942 joined theMinistry of Finance. He was first elected to theNational Diet in 1953 and held a number of prominent posts, including international trade and industry minister underEisaku Sato, foreign minister underTakeo Miki, director of the Economic Planning Agency underTakeo Fukuda, chief cabinet secretary underYasuhiro Nakasone, and finance minister underNoboru Takeshita. Miyazawa became prime minister in 1991, but was forced to resign after the1993 election after a failure to pass political reforms caused hisLiberal Democratic Party to face its first defeat in a national election since its formation in 1955. Miyazawa later returned as finance minister from 1999 to 2001 in the cabinets ofKeizō Obuchi andYoshirō Mori.
Miyazawa was born into a wealthy, politically active family fromFukuyama, Hiroshima,[3] on 8 October 1919, as the eldest son of politicianYutaka Miyazawa [ja] and his wife Koto. His father was a member ofthe Diet,[3][4] and his mother was the daughter of politicianOgawa Heikichi [ja], who served asMinister of Justice and Minister of Railways. Following the1923 Great Kantō earthquake, Miyazawa lived at his grandfather Ogawa Heikichi's villa Kasuian inHiratsuka. At the time, his father Yutaka worked forYamashita Kisen, whilst planning to move his political career fromHiroshima Prefecture to the National Diet.[5]
Miyazawa studied at Musashi Higher School, then went on to study at theFaculty of Law,Tokyo Imperial University.[3] While at university, Miyazawa travelled to attend theJapan-America Student Conference inWashington D.C. in the United States in 1939, just before the outbreak of the Second World War. Inspired by this experience, he kept learning English even during the time the country was at war with the US, and became a fluent speaker. Apart from his studies, he was passionate aboutNoh, films and music.[6]
In 1942, Miyazawa joined the Ministry of Finance, avoiding military service duringWorld War II.[3] While in the Ministry, he became a protégé of future prime ministerHayato Ikeda.
In 1953, at Ikeda's urging, Miyazawa ran for and won election to the Upper House of theNational Diet, where he remained until moving to the Lower House in 1967.[3] As a leading figure in Ikeda'sKōchikai policy group, Miyazawa was considered a member of Ikeda's "brains trust."[7] In 1961, Miyazawa accompanied Ikeda to a summit meeting with U.S. PresidentJohn F. Kennedy, and due to his excellent English, served as Ikeda's sole translator during the latter's "yacht talks" with Kennedy on Kennedy's presidential yacht, theHoney Fitz.[8]
Beginning with the Ikeda cabinet, Miyazawa held a number of important government posts, including Director of theEconomic Planning Agency (1962-64, 1966-68, 1977-78), Minister of International Trade and Industry (1970–1971), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1974–1976), and Chief Cabinet Secretary (1984–1986). He became Minister of Finance under the government ofNoboru Takeshita in 1987. However, Miyazawa had to resign from this post amid theRecruit scandal in 1988.[1]
Miyazawa became Prime Minister on 5 November 1991 backed by his faction.[9] Miyazawa gained brief fame in theUnited States whenPresidentGeorge H. W. Bushvomited in his lap and fainted during a state dinner on 8 January 1992.
In 1992, while he was in South Korea, he formally apologized for Japan's use ofcomfort women, making him the first Japanese leader to acknowledge that Japan's military coerced women into sexual slavery before and during theSecond World War.[3]
His government passed a law allowing Japan to send its forces overseas forpeacekeeping missions as well as negotiating a trade agreement with theUnited States. It also introduced financial reforms to address the growing economicmalaise in Japan in the 1990s. Miyazawa resigned in 1993 after losing avote of no confidence marking an end to 38 years of Liberal Democratic Party government.[1] The reason for the vote was a scandal involvingFumio Abe, a member of Miyazawa's faction.[9] The Liberal Democratic Party returned to power in June 1994.
Miyazawa later returned tofrontbench politics when he was once again appointed finance minister from 1998 to 2001 in the governments ofKeizō Obuchi andYoshirō Mori. In 1998, Miyazawa replacedHikaru Matsunaga as finance minister.[10][11]
Without having any governmental office (which is remarkable), he held the speech for his country at the UN General Assembly on 11 November 2001.[12]
He served a total of 14 terms in both upper and lower houses before retiring from politics in 2003.[3][13] The reason for his retirement was that then prime minister Junichiro Koizumi set an age limit of 73 for LDP political candidates.[14]
Miyazawa married while studying in theUnited States. He and his wife, Yoko, had two children: Hiro, an architect, and Keiko, who became wife of diplomatChristopher J. LaFleur [zh].[15][3] He published a book, entitledSecret Talks Between Tokyo and Washington, which was translated into English by Robert D. Eldridge in 2007. The book is about Miyazawa's views concerning the relationships between the US and Japan in terms of the political, economic, and security-related negotiations during the period of 1949 and 1954.[16]
Miyazawa died inTokyo at the age of 87 on 28 June 2007.[1][13]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of the Liberal Democratic Party 1991–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head ofKōchikai 1986–1998 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of State Head of the Economic Planning Agency 1962–1964 | Succeeded by Mamoru Takahashi |
| Preceded by | Minister of State Head of the Economic Planning Agency 1966–1968 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of International Trade and Industry 1970–1971 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Foreign Affairs 1974–1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of State Head of the Economic Planning Agency 1977–1978 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Cabinet Secretary 1980–1982 | Succeeded by Masaharu Gotōda |
| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 1986–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Prime Minister of Japan 1987–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Japan 1991–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Posts and Telecommunications 1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 1998–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | Chairperson of the G7 1993 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Takenori Katō | Youngest member of theHouse of Councillors of Japan 1953–1956 | Succeeded by Tadashi Ōya |
| Empire of Japan (1868–1947) |
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| Japan (1947–present) |
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| People | |
| Other | |
