Keizō Obuchi
Keizō Obuchi (小渕 恵三, Obuchi Keizō, 25 June 1937 – 14 May 2000) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1998 to 2000.
Keizō Obuchi | |
|---|---|
小渕 恵三 | |
Official portrait, 1998 | |
| Prime Minister of Japan | |
| In office 30 July 1998 – 5 April 2000 | |
| Monarch | Akihito |
| Preceded by | Ryutaro Hashimoto |
| Succeeded by | Yoshiro Mori |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 11 September 1997 – 30 July 1998 | |
| Prime Minister | Ryutaro Hashimoto |
| Preceded by | Yukihiko Ikeda |
| Succeeded by | Masahiko Kōmura |
| Chief Cabinet Secretary | |
| In office 6 November 1987 – 3 June 1989 | |
| Prime Minister | Noboru Takeshita |
| Preceded by | Masaharu Gotoda |
| Succeeded by | Masajuro Shiokawa |
| Director General of the Prime Minister's Office | |
| In office 9 November 1979 – 17 July 1980 | |
| Prime Minister | Masayoshi Ōhira |
| Preceded by | Asao Mihara |
| Succeeded by | Taro Nakayama |
| Director General of the Okinawa Development Agency | |
| In office 9 November 1979 – 17 July 1980 | |
| Prime Minister | Masayoshi Ōhira |
| Preceded by | Asao Mihara |
| Succeeded by | Taro Nakayama |
| Member of the House of Representatives for Gunma 3rd District | |
| In office 21 November 1963 – 14 May 2000 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 June 1937 Nakanojō, Gunma, Empire of Japan |
| Died | 14 May 2000 (aged 62) Tokyo, Japan |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic Party |
| Spouse |
Chizuko Ono (m. 1967) |
| Children | 3, including Yūko |
| Alma mater | Waseda University (BA) |
| Signature | |
Obuchi was elected to the House of Representatives in Gunma Prefecture in 1963, becoming the youngest legislator in Japanese history, and was re-elected to his seat eleven times. Obuchi rose through the ranks of the Liberal Democratic Party and distinguished himself in the prominent posts of Chief Cabinet Secretary and Minister for Foreign Affairs in the 1980s and 1990s. Obuchi became prime minister in 1998 after replacing Ryutaro Hashimoto as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, and his premiership was characterized by attempts to reverse the effects of the Lost Decade. Obuchi entered a coma while in office in 2000, less than two years into his term as prime minister, and was replaced by Yoshiro Mori shortly before his death.