Miyazawa, Kiichi

▪ 2008

      Japanese politician

born Oct. 8, 1919, Tokyo, Japan

died June 28, 2007, Tokyo

served briefly (1991–93) as prime minister of Japan but was unable to unite or control the warring factions within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) or to implement promised anticorruption measures. Miyazawa graduated (1941) in law from Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo) and worked (1942–52) as a civilian in the Finance Ministry. In 1953 he was elected to the Diet (parliament), and in 1962 he secured his first cabinet position, as director general of the Economic Planning Agency. Subsequently Miyazawa served as minister of international trade and industry (1970–71), of foreign affairs (1974–76), and of finance (1986–88). He also acted as cabinet secretary in the early 1980s and, briefly, as deputy prime minister in Noboru Takeshita's cabinet. Along with other senior politicians in the ruling LDP, Miyazawa was tainted by the bribery scandals that rocked the Japanese establishment, and he was forced to resign as finance minister in December 1988. He soon returned to power, however, and after being elected president of the LDP on Oct. 27, 1991, he took over as prime minister on November 5. His reascension in the early 1990s tended to mark a return to old-style politics. In June 1993 some LDP factions joined with opposition parties to pass a vote of no confidence. Miyazawa was forced to resign as prime minister, and in the ensuing general elections, the LDP lost control of the Diet for the first time in its 38-year history. He again served as finance minister from 1998 to 2001.

* * *