| Toshio Yamaguchi 山口 敏夫 | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Labor | |
| In office 1 November 1984 – 28 December 1985 | |
| Prime Minister | Yasuhiro Nakasone |
| Preceded by | Misoji Sakamoto |
| Succeeded by | Yu Hayashi |
| Member of the House of Representatives for Saitama 2nd district | |
| In office 30 January 1967 – 27 September 1996 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1940-08-29) 29 August 1940 (age 84) Higashimatsuyama, Saitama, Japan |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic Party (Before 1976) New Liberal Club (1976–86) Liberal Democratic Party (1986–93) New Frontier Party (1994–95) People's Sovereignty Party (2016) |
| Alma mater | Meiji University |
Toshio Yamaguchi (山口 敏夫, Yamaguchi Toshio, born 29 August 1940) is a Japanese politician who served as Minister of Labor and as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan.
Yamaguchi was first elected to the House of Representatives in the 1967 general election and served ten consecutive terms in the Diet, holding his seat until the 1996 general election. He served as labor minister from 1984 to 1985 in the cabinet of Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone. During his time in the Diet, he frequently appeared in the media and was dubbed the "Ushiwakamaru of politics."
In 1994, Yamaguchi persuaded the heads of Tokyo Kyowa Credit Association and Anzen Credit Bank to arrange illegal loans for companies controlled by Yamaguchi and his family. He was arrested in December 1995 and held in prison for a year pending trial. In 1996, he was found guilty of breach of trust, embezzlement, fraud and perjury, and sentenced to four years in prison. He appealed the verdict to the Tokyo High Court, and told reporters in 2002 that he was considering a return to office in 2004; his appeal was rejected in February 2003. He was taken to prison in March 2007 to serve the remaining 3.5 years of his term.
Following his release, in 2015, Yamaguchi distributed pamphlets to members of the Diet calling for former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori to resign as head of the 2020 Summer Olympics organizing committee, causing a stir in the political world as Yamaguchi and Mori had been acquaintances since Mori was still a student.
At the age of 75, Yamaguchi entered the 2016 Tokyo gubernatorial election as a candidate of the People's Sovereignty Party (国民主権の会, Kokumin Shuken no Kai). He placed eleventh out of twenty-one candidates.
References
- ^ "Yamaguchi fraud appeal rejected". The Japan Times. 26 February 2003. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- ^ "山口敏夫氏「東京オリンピックが都民生活を脅かしている」 あの元首相をバッサリ". Sankei News. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- ^ "Prosecutors drive ex-labor minister to penitentiary". The Japan Times. Kyodo News. 23 March 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- "山口敏夫氏が全議員に配布「森喜朗は辞めろ」檄文の中身". Nikkan Gendai. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- "平成28年7月31日執行東京都知事選挙 立候補者一覧" (PDF). 東京都選挙管理委員会. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byMisoji Sakamoto | Minister of Labour 1984–1985 |
Succeeded byYu Hayashi |
| House of Representatives (Japan) | ||
| Preceded byIshimatsu Kitagawa | Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives of Japan 1986–1987 |
Succeeded byEitaro Itoyama |
| Preceded byHiroshi Mitsuzuka | Chair, Rules and Administration Committee of the House of Representatives of Japan 1988–1989 |
Succeeded byHikosaburo Okonogi |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded byParty established | Chair, Diet Affairs Committee of the New Liberal Club 1976–1979 |
Succeeded byKentaro Ishihara |
| Preceded bySeiichi Tagawa | Secretary General of the New Liberal Club 1980–1986 |
Succeeded byParty dissolved |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded byRyutaro Hashimoto | Youngest member of the House of Representatives of Japan 1967–1969 |
Succeeded byIchirō Ozawa |