Yasuo Fukuda
Yasuo Fukuda (Japanese福田 康夫, Yasuo Fukuda, * July 16, 1936 in Setagaya- ku, Tokyo, reported in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture) is a former Japanese politicians of the LDP. From September 2007 to September 2008, he was the 58th Prime Minister of Japan.
Fukuda is the eldest son of former Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda.
- 3.1 Pedigree
Life
Fukuda studied Political Science and Economics at Waseda University. Subsequently, he worked 17 years for a Japanese oil companies, including two years in the United States. His first experience in politics, he gained when his father was prime minister 1976-1978, first as secretary of a Sangiin deputies, then as secretary to the Prime Minister. In this capacity, he participated in discussions with China and the United States over the peace treaty between Japan and the People 's Republic of China in part. In 1990 he stood as a candidate after the withdrawal of his father from politics in the constituency, the constituency viermandatigen Gunma 3, for the Shūgiin; He has since claimed in six elections, after the electoral reform since 1996 in the new Einmandatswahlkreis Gunma 4 Fukuda belongs to the Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai to, the former faction of his father, now Machimura faction based.
In October 2000 Fukuda Cabinet Secretary in the second cabinet of Yoshirō Mori ( Machimura faction ). The office he retained even under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi ( Machimura faction ) until May 2004, when Fukuda were involved because of a scandal over missed payments to the state pension system, in which many politicians of the LDP and DPJ, resigned.
After Fukuda was elected by his party against Taro Aso ( Asō faction ) party leader in September 2007, the Shūgiin elected him on 25 September 2007 against the vote of the Sangiin the new Prime Minister. On 26 September 2007, Fukuda and his cabinet of Emperor Akihito formally appointed. He stood for a more moderate foreign policy than the previous Prime Minister Abe. Among other things, he sat down for an improvement of the historically weighed heavily on relations with China and South Korea.
To Shūgiin election 2012, Fukuda withdrew; his constituency took over for the LDP his eldest son Tatsuo.
Reign
The first phase of Fukuda's reign was marked by a vain attempt to deal with the opposition, which holds the majority in Sangiin to agree on an extension of the anti-terror law, on the basis attended by the Japanese Navy with refueling ships in the Indian Ocean in Operation Enduring Freedom had. The mission had to be completed with the law expires on 31 October 2007.
In this context, and in light of upcoming domestic reforms Fukuda had also negotiated with the Chairman of the Democratic Party Ichirō Ozawa on the formation of a grand coalition, which was rejected by the Democrats.
To overrule the Sangiin with a two-thirds majority in Shūgiin and yet to pass the anti-terrorism law yet, the session of Parliament has been extended until 15 January 2008. The law was passed on 11 January 2008 with 340 to 133 votes in Shūgiin. The two-thirds majority was applied for the second time ever and the first time in over 50 years.
Were overshadowed the first months of the reign of the scandal surrounding the former Secretary of Defense Takemasa Moriya, the representatives of the defense contractor Yamada Yoko over eight years for a total of about 15 million yen (about 95,000, 00 Euros ) invited to golf and mahjong was by also allegations against several LDP politicians were collected. Yamada Yoko had received in 2003 and 2004 excessive sums for defense procurement.
Domestic political blockade and survey depth
After the failure of negotiations for a possible grand coalition, the opposition puts on a blockade of government initiatives, putting pressure on the government at the scandals about the pension and the Ministry of Defence and launching publicity Störmaneuver with their majority in Sangiin; they had, for example, in November 2007 adopted a resolution to end the Iraq deployment of the air self-defense forces. In his inaugural speech at the opening of the session 2008 of Parliament Fukuda urged the opposition to cooperate: reforms are more important than the transformation of the political landscape. Previously, he had repeatedly denied media speculation about possible early elections, although he warned his party that it currently lacked the confidence of voters. He stated several times that he wanted to resolve the Shūgiin in any event before the G8 summit in July.
The opening of the session, 2008, the dispute over the new budget, primarily to a restructuring of the oil and motor vehicle taxes are determined. On 29 February 2008 the new budget was adopted in Shūgiin with the government majority under boycott by the opposition parties. Since the mineral oil tax law had been delayed by the opposition blockade in Sangiin, gasoline prices fell abruptly on April 1 to about 25 yen and rose again on May 1 by the same amount. For the re- introduction of the fuel tax, the government coalition for the second time after the anti-terror law had the two-thirds majority in Shūgiin apply to overrule the Sangiin.
Other important issues were the food safety ( because of several scandals involving contaminated imported from China frozen food) and the collision of the Aegis destroyer Atago with a fishing boat whose work-up Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba entered the criticism of the opposition. Given the public outrage over crimes stationed in Okinawa U.S. soldiers Fukuda announced that he would discuss the issue with the U.S. Government - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Tōkyō in February 2008 - and warned of a strain on the alliance by the incident.
In May 2008, the approval rate of the government Fukuda reached in the population according to some surveys 20 % after they had undercut the record lows of the Abe administration before Sangiin - election defeat in the summer of 2007 and the subsequent resignation in April.
On 11 June, the Sangiin Fukuda spoke with 131 to 105 votes, the vote of no confidence, an event that had never been seen since the end of World War II in Japan. The government parties requested an immediate vote of confidence in the crucial Shūgiin where they hold a two-thirds majority. While the opposition demanded new elections, Fukuda said, given the hopelessness of the no-confidence vote in Shūgiin from a purely party political maneuvers. The reason for the move by the Democrats was proposed by Fukuda health insurance reform as a burden for the elderly too high.
During the summer break in 2008 between the regular session of the Parliament and the special session in the fall ( Rinji kokkai ) Fukuda led by a cabinet reshuffle in early August, at the same time the leadership of the party were neubesetzt. His intra-party rivals taro Asō nominated Fukuda as LDP Secretary General. Given attractive inflation and declining consumer and investment inclination presented his government in late August, about 1.8 trillion yen (about 10.8 billion euro ) strong economic program in order to alleviate a possible threat of economic recession in the election year 2009. Meanwhile, put the dispute over the timing of the next general election continues: While Fukuda seeks the completion of the full term of four years, the coalition partners Kōmeitō wants an earlier election date to make a clear distinction between the Shūgiin - elections and elections to the Prefecture Parliament Tokyo - a stronghold of Soka Gakkai, the main electoral base of Kōmeitō - to reach. The survey results of Fukuda's government had recovered slightly during the summer months: In August, the approval rate exceeded the 30 percent mark; the rejection fell below 60%. The LDP, which had first been overtaken in the polls in May by the Democrats, rose slightly in favor of the voters again.
On 1 September 2008 Yasuo Fukuda announced after less than a year in office, in a short press conference convened his resignation. Until the election of his successor, Taro Aso, on 24 September, he was a caretaker in office.
Foreign policy activity
The stated goal Fukuda at the beginning of his tenure was an improvement of Sino-Japanese relations. End of December 2007, he undertook a four -day visit to the People's Republic. The return visit of President Hu Jintao in May 2008 saw the signing of a document that contains a Memorandum of Understanding on the development of " strategic relationships." In critical issues such as the interest accrual in the East China Sea, is struggling in the order gas well, or on climate change no final agreement was reached, but made early solutions in sight. For future annual meetings between the leaders of the two countries were agreed.
End of May 2008 took place the 4th International Tokyo Conference on African Development ( TICAD ) in Yokohama. Fukuda said at the opening of the summit, Japan would increase its aid spending significantly.
Since becoming Prime Minister Fukuda's preparations for the G8 summit in Tōyako was in July 2008 on the foreign policy agenda. A first visit with U.S. President George W. Bush, he undertook in November 2007. Shortly before the inauguration of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held talks with him in Moscow in May 2008. Early June met Fukuda on a trip to Germany, United Kingdom and the FAO Summit in Rome with the Heads of State or Government of four G8 countries, Angela Merkel, Gordon Brown, Nicolas Sarkozy and Silvio Berlusconi. Important themes of the trip were the climate change and the global food price increases. He also discussed the world economic development against the backdrop of rising oil prices with European leaders. After this trip, he met with the leaders of all G8 countries except Canada before the summit.
Family
Fukuda's wife Kiyoko is a granddaughter of Sakurauchi Yukio, Member of Parliament and in the 1930s, among other things, financial and agriculture minister, and cousin of Seiichi Ōta, Agriculture Minister in Fukuda's Cabinet and deputy until 2009 (LDP, Koga faction ). Fukuda's sister is married to the former Member Michio Ochi (LDP, Fukuda faction ), whose eldest son was Takao to 2009 MP (LDP, Machimura faction ) also.