Keizō Obuchi
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 | Yoshirō Mori |
| President of the Liberal Democratic Party | |
| In office 24 July 1998 – 5 April 2000 | |
| Secretary-General | Yoshirō Mori |
| 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 | |
| In office 21 November 1963 – 14 May 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | Yūko Obuchi |
| Constituency | Gunma 3rd (1963–1996) Gunma 5th (1996–2000) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 June 1937 Nakanojō, Gunma, Empire of Japan |
| Died | 14 May 2000 (aged 62) Tokyo, Japan |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic (Heisei Kenkyūkai) |
| Spouse |
Chizuko Ono (m. 1967) |
| Children | 3, including Yūko |
| Alma mater | Waseda University (BA) |
| Signature | |
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.
Born in Gunma Prefecture, Obuchi graduated from Waseda University and was first elected to the National Diet in 1963, becoming one of the youngest legislators in Japanese history. He rose through the ranks of the Liberal Democratic Party, serving as director of the Okinawa Development Agency from 1979 to 1980, chief cabinet secretary under Noboru Takeshita from 1987 to 1989, and foreign minister under Ryutaro Hashimoto from 1997 to 1998, where he distinguished himself during talks with Russia on the Kuril Islands dispute. Obuchi became prime minister in 1998, and during his tenure tried to conclude a peace treaty with Russia to formally end World War II, and attempted to revive Japan's stagnant economy by raising public spending and lowering income taxes. In 2000, Obuchi suddenly fell into a coma and died six weeks later.