Hiroshi Kajiyama (politician)

Hiroshi Kajiyama (梶山 弘志, Kajiyama Hiroshi, born 18 October 1955) is a Japanese politician who served as Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry from October 2019 to October 2021. He is a member of the House of Representative since 2000, representing the Ibaraki 4th District.

Hiroshi Kajiyama
梶山 弘志
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
In office
October 25, 2019 – October 4, 2021
Prime MinisterShinzo Abe
Yoshihide Suga
Preceded byIsshu Sugawara
Succeeded byKōichi Hagiuda
Minister of State for Regulatory Reform
In office
August 3, 2017 – October 2, 2018
Prime MinisterShinzo Abe
Preceded byKozo Yamamoto
Succeeded bySatsuki Katayama
Member of the House of Representatives
Assumed office
25 June 2000
ConstituencyIbaraki 4th District
Personal details
Born (1955-10-18) 18 October 1955 (age 69)
Hitachiōta, Ibaraki, Japan
Political partyLiberal Democratic Party

Early life

edit

Kajiyama was born in Hitachiōta, Ibaraki. His father, Seiroku Kajiyama, was a prefectural assemblyman who later won a seat in the House of Representatives and rose to the positions of LDP Secretary-General and several Cabinet posts. Kajiyama graduated from Nihon University and joined the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation in 1979, where he worked until 1985. After a stint as his father's secretary from 1985 to 1988, he started a non-ferrous metals trading company and served as its president.[1]

Political career

edit

After his father's death in 2000, Kajiyama successfully ran to take over his father's seat in the 2000 general election. He thereafter won re-election six times.[1]

In 2006, he was appointed as Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Administration.[2]

Kajiyama was appointed to serve as State Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in 2012.[1]

In August 2017, he was appointed to serve as minister in charge of administrative reforms, and announced new guidelines on the management of administrative documents. This came in the wake of the Moritomo Gakuen scandal, in which the government was accused of destroying records to cover up a favorable land-sale contract.[3]

In October 2019, he was appointed to serve as Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Minister in charge of Industrial Competitiveness, Minister in charge of International Exposition, Minister for Economic Cooperation with Russia, Minister in charge of the Response to the Economic Impact caused by the Nuclear Accident, and Minister of State for the Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation.[1] As METI minister, he announced initiatives to phase out coal power in Japan in favor of renewable energy.[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry / METI Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry". www.meti.go.jp. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Hiroshi KAJIYAMA (The Cabinet) | Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet". 202.214.194.139. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  3. ^ Yoshida, Reiji (30 August 2017). "New guidelines governing documents to be put in place by year-end: Kajiyama". The Japan Times. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  4. ^ "METI minister signals a major shift for Japan away from coal and toward renewables". The Japan Times. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
edit
House of Representatives (Japan)
Preceded by Representative for Ibaraki 4th district
2000–present
Incumbent
Preceded by Chairman of the Committee on Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
2013–2014
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of State for Regulatory Reform
2017–2018
Succeeded by
Minister of State for Regional Revitalisation
2017–2018
Preceded by Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
2019–2021
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Executive Acting Secretary General,
Liberal Democratic Party

2021–2024
Succeeded by