Muneo Suzuki (鈴木 宗男 ''Suzuki Muneo'', born 31 January 1948), commonly known simply as "Muneo" due to his common last name, is a Japanese politician from
Ashoro
is a town located in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.
As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 7,150 and a density of 5.1 persons per km2. The total area is 1,408.09 km2.
It was the largest municipality in Japan ...
,
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
, currently serving as 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 ...
He graduated from the Department of Political Science at
Takushoku University
Takushoku University (拓殖 大学; ''Takushoku Daigaku'', abbreviated as 拓大 ''Takudai'') is a private university in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1900 by Prince (title for a Duke at that time) Taro Katsura (1848–1913).Ichirō Nakagawa, a Japanese member of the House of Representatives. Nakagawa committed suicide in a hotel in January 1983 for unknown reasons. Suzuki hoped to run for his seat, but Ichirō's son
Shōichi Nakagawa
was a Japanese conservative politician in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), who served as Minister of Finance from 24 September 2008 to 17 February 2009. He previously held the posts of Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and Ministry o ...
, a Tokyo native, moved to Hokkaido to run for his father's seat, and Suzuki successfully ran for a seat in a neighboring district. He was elected in December 1983 as a member of the
Liberal Democratic Party
Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties have usually followed liberalism as ideology, although they can vary widely from very progr ...
(LDP).
He was appointed Head of the Hokkaido Development Agency and the Okinawa Development Agency in 1997 and later as Vice Minister of the Cabinet of
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Keizō Obuchi
was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1998 to 2000.
Born in Gunma Prefecture, Obuchi graduated from Waseda University and was first elected to the National Diet in 1963, becoming one of the youngest legislators i ...
.
Scandal and criminal convictions
In 1999, while Suzuki was the
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
The is an official in the Japanese government who assists the Chief Cabinet Secretary. Since July 1998 there have always been three Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretaries at any given time.
Role
The Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretaries are customarily ...
to the former Prime Minister Obuchi, he pressured the Foreign Ministry to fund the Japanese-
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
Friendship House (nicknamed the "Muneo House"), which became a scandal in 2002 when it was revealed.
He left the LDP in 2002 and was arrested later that year for suspicion of accepting bribes from two Hokkaido companies. He did not run for reelection in the 2003 elections on the stated grounds that he was undergoing surgery to treat stomach cancer. His secretary Akira Miyano was convicted of bribery in 2003, and Muneo was convicted of taking the bribes, failure to declare political donations, and perjury and sentenced to two years in prison and fined ¥11 million in November 2004. He remained free and in office as he appealed the conviction.
Muneo ran for 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 2004. He was defeated, but ran successfully for the
House of Representatives of Japan
The is the lower house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors is the upper house.
The composition of the House is established by and of the Constitution of Japan. The House of Representatives has 465 members, elected for a fo ...
in the 11 September 2005 elections after forming the New Party Daichi. He is the only elected member of the party.
On 7 September 2010, the
Supreme Court of Japan
The , located in Hayabusachō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, is the highest court in Japan. It has ultimate judicial authority to interpret the Japanese constitution and decide questions of national law. It has the power of judicial review, which allows it ...
unanimously upheld Suzuki's conviction and sentence. In response, Suzuki stated that he would file a complaint against the ruling. If the complaint is rejected, Suzuki will be removed from office and the fine and prison sentence will take effect. He would also be banned from running for public office for five years after completion of the prison sentence. Suzuki was paroled on 6 December 2011 after serving one year in prison in
Tochigi Prefecture
is a landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,897,649 (1 June 2023) and has a geographic area of 6,408 Square kilometre, km2 (2,474 Square mile, sq mi ...
Nippon Ishin no Kai
The is a conservative and centre-right to right-wing populist political party in Japan. Formed as Initiatives from Osaka in October 2015 from a split in the old Japan Innovation Party, the party became the third-biggest opposition party in t ...
. He won the most votes on the party's list and was thus elected for the first time since being removed from office in 2010.
On 11 October 2023, Suzuki resigned from
Nippon Ishin no Kai
The is a conservative and centre-right to right-wing populist political party in Japan. Formed as Initiatives from Osaka in October 2015 from a split in the old Japan Innovation Party, the party became the third-biggest opposition party in t ...
following calls for his expulsion from the party after he visited Russia during the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
. He stated, "I believe in Russia's victory" and "This war occurred because Zelenskyy did not adhere to the
Minsk agreements
The Minsk agreements were a series of international agreements which sought to end the Donbas war fought between armed Russian separatist groups and Armed Forces of Ukraine, with Russian regular forces playing a central part. After a defe ...
."
Political positions
* He is in favour of
constitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment (or constitutional alteration) is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly alt ...
, legalisation of
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
and introduction of surname system for married couples.
* As an elected member of the Hokkaido Assembly, he has been advocating for the rights of the
Ainu people
The Ainu are an Indigenous peoples, indigenous ethnic group who reside in northern Japan and southeastern Russia, including Hokkaido and the Tōhoku region of Honshu, as well as the land surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk, such as Sakhalin, the Ku ...