IchirÅ Ozawa
Ichirō Ozawa (Japanese小 沢 一郎, Ozawa Ichirō, born May 24, 1942 in Shitaya (now Taitō ), Tōkyō ) is a Japanese politician and MP in the Shūgiin, the lower house of the national parliament, for the 4th constituency Iwate. In the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP ) Secretary General once, he broke with his resignation in 1993 the first power loss of the LDP with out. In the 1990s, he was then one of the guide politicians in the reconstruction of the political landscape and led at times including two large parties that should end already in 1994 restored LDP government, the New Progressive Party ( NFP ), which garnered temporarily large parts of the divided opposition, and the Democratic Party (DPJ ). Although the latter could actually force the LDP in 2009, the opposition; But Ozawa, recently resigned from the party chairmanship fell, several times in conflict with the party leadership and was hit by scandals. In 2012 he left the DPJ in opposition to run by party leader Yoshihiko Noda VAT increase. Since January 2013 he has been Chairman of the Seikatsu no Tō.
Life and career
Rise in the LDP
Ozawa is the eldest son of longtime deputies and minister Saeki Ozawa. After graduating from Keio University, he continued his studies at the Graduate School of Nihon University. However, in 1969 his father died. Ozawa was elected with 27 years for the then second constituency of Iwate Prefecture as an MP of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) into Shūgiin. Ozawa joined the Tanaka faction of the then Secretary General Kakuei Tanaka.
In 1985 he was Interior Minister and Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission in the second cabinet of Yasuhiro Nakasone. During his tenure, the plans for the introduction of a value added tax fell. In the aftermath of the Lockheed scandal, which had discredited Tanaka, left Ozawa 1985, the Tanaka faction and was involved in the founding of the Keiseikai ( Takeshita, later Obuchi faction ) Noboru Takeshita and Kanemaru Shin. Ozawa rose to the leadership of the new strongest LDP faction. From 1989 to 1991 he was secretary general of the LDP.
Reconstruction of the political landscape
1989 shook the Recruit scandal, the LDP and led to the resignation of Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita, successor Sōsuke Uno resigned after a few months of being incurred as a corruption fighter Toshiki Kaifu could not prevail against the factions and resigned in 1991. Morihiro Hosokawa in 1992 left the party and founded the Japan New Party, the seven percent of the vote in the upper house elections in the same year. During the Sagawa - Kyūbin scandal in the same year, the faction leaders Kanemaru came under criticism. Ozawa, who was, despite its relatively low age as number two in the faction, but in the struggle for succession Kanemarus succumbed to the more experienced Keizo Obuchi, who enjoyed the support Takeshitas. Tsutomu Hata and Ozawa left the faction with their followers and formed their own group, the Kaikaku Forum 21 ( Hata - Ozawa faction ).
1993 left Ozawa and Hata, finally, the scandal -ridden LDP and founded the Shinseitō ( Renewal Party). Through this division of the LDP, the party lost for the first time since its inception, participation in government and introduced after the 1993 election Shūgiin no longer the prime minister. As Secretary General of the Revival Party Ozawa was largely responsible for the coalition negotiations for the resulting anti -LDP coalition. After the return of the LDP to power the Shinseitō went into the Shinshinto on ( New Progressive Party ), which he led as chairman of the party since 1995.
Opposition leader and "shadow shogun "
After the dissolution of Shinshinto 1998 Ozawa founded the Liberal Party, which went down a government coalition with the LDP between 1999 and 2000. 2003 joined the Liberal Party of DPJ, which had become the largest opposition party. Together with the DPJ party founders Yukio Hatoyama and Naoto Kan, Ozawa formed the so-called troika, who repeatedly shared the leading party posts.
When the DPJ party leader Seiji Maehara resigned in the wake of the Livedoor scandal after a short tenure, Ichirō Ozawa was elected on 7 April 2006 as the successor. Under his leadership, the party recorded the victory in the Upper House elections in July 2007. Ozawa offered November 4, 2007 to resign after he had negotiated with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda about a grand coalition, but rejected his party. Three days later, he announced at a press conference that he would remain party leader and not seek grand coalition, but rather try to achieve a change of majority at the next general election.
On 8 September 2008, Ozawa was confirmed without a vote for another two years as party chairman after there were no opposing candidates available for a possible choice. An extraordinary party congress this decision was confirmed on 21 September 2008.
In March 2009, a scandal over illegal donations of construction company Nishimatsu Kensetsu became known in the were involved in addition to the LDP politicians Toshihiro Nikai, Minister Koji Omi and Yoshirō Mori Ozawa and especially its secretary Takanori Okubo arrested. Prior to the General Election 2009 fear parts of the Democrats, the scandal could jeopardize a possible election victory against Prime Minister Taro Aso and demanded Ozawa 's resignation. On 11 May 2009, Ozawa told a news conference his resignation from the party chairmanship. He remained until the election of Hatoyama's successor in office. He took the political responsibility for the scandal, but stressed his personal innocence. A resignation of his parliamentary mandate or a party outlet he graduated from.
With the Democratic Party as government politicians
After the victory of the DPJ in the 2009 election Shūgiin appointed him as Secretary General Hatoyama, Naoto Kan was Deputy Prime Minister. Ozawa was as in the anti - LDP cabinets of the early 1990s as a key figure for the cohesion of the government. From the western media, he is therefore also called "shadow shogun " of Japanese politics called.
In a scandal involving a land purchase by Ozawa's supporters organization Rikuzankai three former employees Ozawa were arrested in January 2010: Tomohiro Ishikawa, Takanori Okubo and Mitsutomo Ikeda. The investigation of Ozawa themselves were initially recruited; However filed kensatsu - shinsakai (検 察 审查 会, " Supervisory Commission of the prosecution "; acting at the request for review prosecutorial decisions) in April 2010, the resumption of studies on. Another kensatsu - shinsakai arranged in October 2010 on a forced charge against Ozawa. Ozawa again considering itself to appeal against this decision Furthermore, the opposition Ozawa wants before a parliamentary hearing Load ( shōnin kammon ). First Ozawa refused further parliamentary inquiry because he 'll prove his innocence anyway in the upcoming trial. But in December 2010 he agreed under pressure from the Democratic Party and its related unions of a hearing before an seiji Rinri shinsakai (政治 伦理 审查 会, short seirinshin ) to an ethics investigation committee of the Parliament, in which but unlike a shōnin - kammon hearing no swearing takes place.
Following the resignation Yukio Hatoyama as party leader and Prime Minister in June 2010, Naoto Kan took over both offices, and the " troika " system ( Toroika taisei ) was dissolved: Ozawa gave the Office of the Secretary General on, Yukio Edano became his successor. The upper house election in June 2010 ended with the majority of loss in a heavy defeat for the Democrats. On September 14, Ozawa came against the reigning Premier Naoto Kan at the election of the DP chairman, but unlag this in the crucial vote clearly with 491 to 721 points, mainly decided the party members and registered supporters for Kan and in 249 of 300 constituencies majority voted for Kan. However, Ozawa was also subject among local MPs with 40 to 60 points and under the national parliament with 200 votes to 206.
Renewed opposition
When the House vote in June 2012 on the law to double the VAT Ozawa agreed with about 50 Democratic deputies against the bill. In the 2009 election campaign, the Democratic Party had promised not to raise taxes in the next legislative period. 36 of the deputies who had voted no, and twelve democratic upper house MPs submitted along with Ozawa her party resignation, which was accepted by the party leadership in the House of Lords deputies answered in the House of Representatives with expulsion from the party. The deputies gathered in the Kokumin no Seikatsu ga Daiichi under Ozawa's leadership. The name took up a campaign slogan of the Democratic Party of 2009.
For the 2012 Shūgiin - election, the party joined with other opponents of the tax increase, a possible TPP accession and nuclear power to Nippon Mirai no Tō ( "Future Party of Japan " ), chaired by Yukiko Kada, governor of Shiga together. The party lost a large part of their mandates. Ozawa himself lost in the constituency Iwate 4 Although significantly compared to previous elections, defended his position but with 45.5 % of the vote and a clear lead over its three rival candidates. After the election, the future party split again; the majority of the remaining members joined the Seikatsu no Tō in which Ozawa in January 2013 took over the party presidency by Yuko Mori.