Masahiko Kōmura 高村正彦 |
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Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan | |
In office September 26, 2007 – September 24, 2008 |
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Prime Minister | Yasuo Fukuda |
Preceded by | Nobutaka Machimura |
Succeeded by | Hirofumi Nakasone |
Personal details | |
Political party | Liberal Democratic Party |
Masahiko Kōmura (高村 正彦 Kōmura Masahiko , born March 15, 1942) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party. He was Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1998 to 1999 and again from 2007 to 2008, and he is a member of the House of Representatives for the First District of Yamaguchi Prefecture.[1]
Kōmura was born in Ehime Prefecture and graduated from Chuo University. He later passed Japan's bar exam and then immediately entered politics. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in the June 1980 election, and has been re-elected in each election since then. He became Director-General of the Economic Planning Agency (as a Minister of State) in June 1994, Minister for Foreign Affairs in July 1998, and Minister of Justice in December 2000. In August 2007, under Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, he became Minister of Defense.[1] Following Abe's resignation in September 2007, Kōmura became Minister for Foreign Affairs for a second time on September 26, 2007, in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.[2] He remained in that post until he was replaced by Hirofumi Nakasone in the Cabinet of Taro Aso, appointed on September 24, 2008.[3]
Kōmura is also the President of the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union. He is known to have strong ties within China's political circles. Kōmura leads a small faction of the LDP named after himself and ran for LDP president in 2003, but was defeated by Junichiro Koizumi.[4]
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Nobutaka Machimura |
Minister for Foreign Affairs 2007–2008 |
Succeeded by Hirofumi Nakasone |
Preceded by Yuriko Koike |
Minister of Defence 2007 |
Succeeded by Shigeru Ishiba |
Preceded by Okiharu Yasuoka |
Minister of Justice 2000–2001 |
Succeeded by Mayumi Moriyama |
Preceded by Keizō Obuchi |
Minister for Foreign Affairs 1998–1999 |
Succeeded by Yōhei Kōno |
Preceded by Yoshio Terazawa |
Director of Economic Planning Agency of Japan 1994–1995 |
Succeeded by Isamu Miyazaki |
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