Fumio Kishida
Japan- Fumio Kishida: Japanese Politician and Prime Minister
- Education and Professional Career
- Political Career
- Abe Administration
- Party Leadership
Fumio Kishida: Japanese Politician and Prime Minister
Early Life and Family BackgroundFumio Kishida was born on July 29, 1957, in Shibuya, Tokyo, into a politically prominent family. His father, Fumitake Kishida, was a government official in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Director of the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency. Having roots in Hiroshima, the Kishida family returned to the city every summer. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima claimed the lives of several of Kishida's family members, and he grew up hearing firsthand accounts from surviving relatives. His great-great-grandfather, Kan'ichi Oda, was the sixth Mayor of Hiroshima from May to July 1909. Both his father, Fumitake, and his grandfather, Masaki Kishida, were politicians who served in the Lower House of Parliament.
Education and Professional Career
Kishida attended Clement C. Moore PS 013 Elementary School in Elmhurst, Queens, New York, while his father worked in the United States. He graduated from Kaisei High School, where he was a member of the baseball team. Kishida went on to study law at Waseda University and graduated in 1982. There, he befriended Takeshi Iwaya, who would also become a politician. Following graduation, Kishida worked for the now-defunct Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan and then as a secretary for a member of the House of Representatives.
Political Career
In July 1993, Kishida was elected to the House of Representatives as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), representing Hiroshima's 1st district. He held the position of Minister for Okinawa and Northern Territories (Kuril Islands) from 2007 to 2008, serving under Prime Ministers Shinzo Abe and Yasuo Fukuda. In 2008, he was appointed Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety in Fukuda's cabinet. Kishida also held the positions of Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy and for Quality of Life and Administrative Reform under Fukuda. He became close with Makoto Koga, the leader of the Kochikai faction within the LDP, one of the party's oldest, and took over its leadership in October 2012 after Koga announced his retirement.
Abe Administration
On December 26, 2012, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appointed Kishida as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He held the post for longer than any other person in the postwar period. On August 3, 2017, he stepped down as Foreign Minister following a major cabinet reshuffle and became Chairman of the LDP's Policy Research Council.
Party Leadership
On September 29, 2021, Kishida was elected President of the Liberal Democratic Party, the ruling party in Japan. On October 4, 2021, he became Prime Minister of Japan.
