Kaoru Yosano

Born the grandson of poets Yosano Akiko and Yosano Tekkan in Tokyo, Yosano graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1963. In 1972 he unsuccessfully ran for the House of Representatives, then served as secretary to Yasuhiro Nakasone. He ran again in 1976 and was elected. On August 27, 2007, he was appointed Chief Cabinet Secretary to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, replacing Yasuhisa Shiozaki. He was replaced by Nobutaka Machimura on September 27 when Yasuo Fukuda succeeded Abe.Japan Times, "Fukuda's new lineup", August 3, 2008. He was appointed as Minister of Economic and Fiscal Policy and Minister of Regulatory Reform on August 1, 2008.[http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080802TDY01303.htm "Fukuda overhauls Cabinet / LDP executive shakeup also elevates Aso to party No. 2"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203001708/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080802TDY01303.htm |date=2013-12-03 }}, The Yomiuri Shimbun, August 2, 2008.

File:Timothy Geithner and Kaoru Yosano 20090424.jpg Timothy Geithner in 2009]]

Following the resignation of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Yosano announced his candidacy for the LDP presidency on September 8, 2008:

{{blockquote|"I believe politicians should never mislead the public by showing some rosy pictures. The LDP is facing the biggest crisis since its creation. I will contest the election with high spirits and the courage to lead Japan. Japan is going through a crisis. I will battle the situation for the benefit of the people."[http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/08/asia/japan.php iht.com, Search for next prime minister of Japan puts spotlight on the economy][http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gMveXVZMVAmteJ1_ROyfSy4hQTVw afp.google.com, Koike launches bid to be Japan's first woman PM] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520165700/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gMveXVZMVAmteJ1_ROyfSy4hQTVw |date=2011-05-20 }}}} In the leadership election, held on September 22, 2008, Tarō Asō was elected with 351 of the 527 votes, while Yosano trailed in second place with 66 votes.[http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080922dy04.htm "Aso elected LDP head"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925213354/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080922dy04.htm |date=2008-09-25 }}, The Yomiuri Shimbun, 22 September 2008. In Aso's cabinet, appointed on 24 September 2008, Yosano retained his post as Minister of Economic and Fiscal Policy.[http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080925TDY01303.htm "Aso elected premier / Announces Cabinet lineup himself; poll likely on Nov. 2"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928200407/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080925TDY01303.htm |date=2008-09-28 }}, The Yomiuri Shimbun, 25 September 2008. On February 18, 2009, with the resignation of Shoichi Nakagawa on the case of the G7 conference, he took office as Minister of Finance and Minister in charge of financial services.

On April 4, 2010, Yosano, Takeo Hiranuma, Hiroyuki Sonoda, Takao Fujii and Yoshio Nakagawa announced their plans to leave the LDP to establish a new political party, the Sunrise Party of Japan.{{cite news | title=Yosano, Hiranuma Decide On Name For New Party | date=2010-04-07 | url =http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20100407D07JF404.htm | work =Nikkei Shimbun | access-date = 2010-04-07 }} He left the Sunrise Party on 13 January 2011Japan Times [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20110114a2.html Yosano exits party, seen angling for ruling bloc January 14, 2012] to join the Naoto Kan's cabinet as Minister of Economic and Fiscal Policy.Japan Times [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20110115a1.html New team seen prioritizing TPP entry, sales tax hike January 15, 2012]

Yosano was known for advocating an increase in the consumption tax to reconstruct the nation's debt-ridden fiscal structure. After joining the DPJ government, he drew up the plans for the 2012 consumption tax increase. The legislation was passed through the House of Representatives on June 26, 2012Japan Times [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120627a1.html Lower House passes bill to double sales tax June 27, 2012] and passed the Upper House on August 10, 2012.Japan Times [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120811a1.html Upper House passes bill to hike sales levy August 11, 2012]

His hobbies included golf, making computers, photography, fishing, and playing Japanese board games. He was a Roman Catholic.{{Cite book |last=Michael. |first=Doak, Kevin |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1239778842 |title=Xavier's legacies : Catholicism in modern Japanese culture |date=2011 |publisher=UBC Press |oclc=1239778842}}

It was announced on September 5, 2012, that he would not run for re-election as he was suffering from throat cancer and had difficulty speaking.Japan Times [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120906a6.html Tax hike architect Yosano ill, to retire from politics September 6, 2012] Yosano died on May 23, 2017.{{cite news |url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/05/24/national/former-lawmaker-finance-chief-kaoru-yosano-dies-78/#.WSV6Y4EpCEc |title=Former lawmaker and finance chief Kaoru Yosano dies at 78 |last=Yoshida |first=Reiji |publisher=Japan Times |date=2017-05-24}}Banri Kaieda [http://kaiedabanri.jp/diary/2017052410703.html]

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{Official website|http://www.yosano.gr.jp/en/index.html|Kaoru Yosano official website}}
• {{Charlie Rose view|3542}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-par|jp-lwr}}

{{s-bef|before=Yojirō Konno
Eiichi Tanaka
Kiyomasa Katō}}

{{s-ttl|title=Representative for Tokyo 1st district (multi-member) | years=1976–1979
1980–1996|alongside=Yūji Ōtsuka, Banri Kaieda, several others}}

{{s-non|reason=Constituency abolished}}

{{s-new|reason=New constituency}}

{{s-ttl|title=Representative for Tokyo 1st district| years=1996–2000}}

{{s-aft|rows=2|after=Banri Kaieda}}

{{s-bef|before=Banri Kaieda}}

{{s-ttl|title=Representative for Tokyo 1st district| years=2005–2009}}

{{s-break}}

{{s-non|reason=N/A}}

{{s-ttl|title=Representative for the Tokyo block (PR) | years=2003–2005
2009–2012}}

{{s-non|reason=N/A}}

{{s-off}}

{{s-bef|before=Banri Kaieda}}

{{s-ttl|title=Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy| years=2011}}

{{s-aft|after=Motohisa Furukawa}}

{{s-bef|before=Tomiko Okazaki}}

{{s-ttl|title=Minister of State for Social Affairs and Gender Equality| years=2011}}

{{s-aft|after=Renho}}

{{s-bef|before=Shōichi Nakagawa}}

{{s-ttl|title=Minister of Finance | years=2009}}

{{s-aft|after=Hirohisa Fujii}}

{{s-bef|before=Shōichi Nakagawa}}

{{s-ttl|title=Minister of State for Financial Services | years=2009}}

{{s-aft|after=Shizuka Kamei}}

{{s-bef|before=Hiroko Ōta}}

{{s-ttl|title=Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy| years=2008–2009}}

{{s-aft|after=Yoshimasa Hayashi}}

{{s-bef|before=Tatsuya Ito}}

{{s-ttl|title=Minister of State for Financial Services | years=2005–2006}}

{{s-aft|after=Yuji Yamamoto}}

{{s-bef|before=Yasuhisa Shiozaki}}

{{s-ttl|title=Chief Cabinet Secretary | years= August 2007 – September 2007}}

{{s-aft|after=Nobutaka Machimura}}

{{s-bef|before=Heizō Takenaka}}

{{s-ttl|title=Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy | years=2005–2006}}

{{s-aft|after=Hiroko Ōta}}

{{s-bef|before=Mitsuo Horiuchi}}

{{s-ttl|title=Minister for International Trade and Industry | years=1998–1999}}

{{s-aft|after=Takashi Fukaya}}

{{s-bef|before = Mitsuharu Warashina }}

{{s-ttl|title = Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
(Political affairs)|years = 1996–1997}}

{{s-aft|after = Fukushiro Nukaga}}

{{s-bef|before=Ryoko Akamatsu}}

{{s-ttl|title=Minister of Education | years=1994–1995}}

{{s-aft|after=Yoshinobu Shimamura}}

{{s-ppo}}

{{s-new|party}}

{{s-ttl|title=Co-Leader of Tachigare Nippon |alongside=Takeo Hiranuma}}

{{s-aft|after=Takeo Hiranuma
(as sole leader) }}

{{s-bef|before=Hakuo Yanagisawa}}

{{s-ttl|title=Chairman of the Tax Research Commission,
Liberal Democratic Party |years=2006}}

{{s-aft|after=Yuji Tsushima}}

{{s-bef|before=Fukushiro Nukaga}}

{{s-ttl|title=Chairman of the Policy Research Council,
Liberal Democratic Party |years=2004–2005}}

{{s-aft|after=Hidenao Nakagawa}}

{{s-bef|before=Yoshinobu Shimamura}}

{{s-ttl|title=Chief of the Public Relations Headquarters,
Liberal Democratic Party |years=1997–1998}}

{{s-aft|after=Mikio Okuda}}

{{s-bef|before=Kōichi Hamada}}

{{s-ttl|title=Chairman of the Public Relations Committee,
Liberal Democratic Party |years=1993–1994}}

{{s-aft|after=Seishirō Etō}}

{{s-end}}

{{Japanese finance ministers}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yosano, Kaoru}}

Category:1938 births

Category:2017 deaths

Category:Government ministers of Japan

Category:Ministers of finance of Japan

Category:Education ministers of Japan

Category:University of Tokyo alumni

Category:Japanese Roman Catholics

Category:Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians

Category:Sunrise Party politicians

Category:People from Chiyoda, Tokyo

Category:Politicians from Tokyo

Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 1986–1990

Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 1993–1996

Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 1996–2000

Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2000–2003

Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2003–2005

Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2005–2009

Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2009–2012