Bunmei Ibuki

Bunmei Ibuki (Japanese伊 吹 文明, Ibuki Bunmei; born January 9, 1938 in Kyoto ) is a Japanese politician, president of the lower house of former Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party and several ministers. Within the party he led from 2005 to 2012, the Ibuki faction ( officially: Shisuikai ).

Ibuki studied until 1960 economics at Kyoto University. Subsequently, he was a civil servant in the Ministry of Finance. In 1983 he was first elected in the first constituency of Kyoto Prefecture to the House and since confirmed seven times. From September 1997 to July 1998 he was labor minister in the cabinet of Ryutaro Hashimoto. Under Prime Minister Mori Yoshirō he was between 2000 and 2001 Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission and Minister of State for Civil Protection. From 2006 to 2007, Ibuki Education Minister in the cabinet of Shinzō Abe. Shortly after taking office, he had spoken out against it to take English as a foreign language compulsory in the curricula of Japanese elementary schools: " There is no reason to learn English, as long as the children do not speak Japanese beautiful ".

After Abe's resignation, he was the party leader Yasuo Fukuda, whom his faction had supported in the election against Taro Aso, secretary general of the LDP. In the cabinet reshuffle on 1 August 2008 Fukuda Ibuki appointed finance minister, successor as Secretary General Taro Aso was. When he was elected party leader and prime minister a month later, he replaced Shoichi Nakagawa through Ibuki. In the new cabinet Ibukis had grown influence: the Ibuki faction was represented by three ministers. The devastating for the LDP lower house election in 2009 Ibuki lost his constituency to the Democrats Tomoyuki Taira, but was re-elected on the proportional representation block Kinki.

In the general election in 2012 Ibuki received fewer votes than in 2009, but was able to regain his constituency with less than a third of the votes in a fragmented field of candidates. Subsequently, he was elected Speaker of the House. The chairmanship of the previous Ibuki faction took over Toshihiro Nikai.

Ibukis wife Yuko is a granddaughter of Ryutaro Takahashi, the owner of the baseball team Takahashi Unions, President of the Japanese Football Association, Ryokufūkai - upper house MPs and the Minister of International Trade and Industry of the postwar period.