is a Japanese

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers. If the t ...

in the

National Diet , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

(national legislature). A native of Iwaki, Fukushima and graduate of

Sophia University Sophia University (Japanese language, Japanese: 上智大学, ''Jōchi Daigaku''; Latin: ''Universitas Sedis Sapientiae'') is a private List of Jesuit educational institutions, Jesuit research university in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1913 by ...

with a B.L., he worked at

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and ...

and served in the city assembly of Iwaki for two terms since 1980, in the assembly of

Fukushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,771,100 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture ...

for two terms from 1986 and as mayor of Iwaki for two terms from 1990. He was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1998. Iwaki was named Minister of Justice in

Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. ...

cabinet on 7 October 2015.

Conservative views

Iwaki is a member of the Sinseiren parliamentary group (fundamentalist Shinto). On 18 October 2015, a few days after joining Shinzo Abe's cabinet, Iwaki visited the controversial

Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Empire of Japan, Japan, from the Boshin War of 1868–1869, to the two Sino-Japanese Wars, First Sino-Japane ...

.Two cabinet ministers visit Yasukuni shrine
(Japan Times 2015/10/18)

References

* 1949 births Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians Living people People from Iwaki, Fukushima Politicians from Fukushima Prefecture Mayors of places in Japan Members of the House of Councillors (Japan) Sophia University alumni {{Japan-politician-1940s-stub