Junichiro Koizumi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Junichiro Koizumi
小泉 純一郎
Official portrait, 2001
Prime Minister of Japan
In office 26 April 2001 – 26 September 2006
Monarch	Akihito
Preceded by	Yoshirō Mori
Succeeded by	Shinzo Abe
President of the Liberal Democratic Party
In office 20 April 2001 – 20 September 2006
Vice President	Taku Yamasaki
Secretary-General	Tamisuke Watanuki Shinzo Abe Tsutomu Takebe
Preceded by	Yoshirō Mori
Succeeded by	Shinzo Abe
Minister of Health and Welfare
In office 7 November 1996 – 29 July 1998
Prime Minister	Ryutaro Hashimoto
Preceded by	Naoto Kan
Succeeded by	Sohei Miyashita
In office 27 December 1988 – 10 August 1989
Prime Minister	Noboru Takeshita Sōsuke Uno
Preceded by	Takao Fujimoto
Succeeded by	Saburo Toida
Minister of Post and Telecommunications
In office 12 December 1992 – 20 July 1993
Prime Minister	Kiichi Miyazawa
Preceded by	Hideo Watanabe
Succeeded by	Kiichi Miyazawa
Member of the House of Representatives from Kanagawa
In office 10 December 1972 – 21 July 2009
Preceded by	Multi-member district
Succeeded by	Shinjirō Koizumi
Constituency	2nd district (1972–1996) 11th district (1996–2009)
Personal details
Born	(1942-01-08) 8 January 1942 (age 83) Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
Political party	Liberal Democratic
Spouse	Kayoko Miyamoto ​ ​ (m. 1978; div. 1982)​
Children	Kōtarō Koizumi Shinjirō Koizumi Yoshinaga Miyamoto
Parents	Jun'ya Koizumi (father) Yoshie Koizumi (mother)
Relatives	Koizumi Matajirō (grandfather)
Alma mater	Keio University (BEc) University College London

Junichiro Koizumi was the Prime Minister of Japan and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2001 to 2006. He was known for being a unique leader. He retired from politics in 2009. He is one of the longest-serving Prime Ministers in Japan's history.

Koizumi focused on improving Japan's economy. He worked to reduce the country's government debt. He also wanted to privatize Japan's postal service. In the 2005 election, his party won a huge number of seats in the parliament. This was one of the biggest wins in modern Japanese history.

He also gained international attention for sending Japanese troops to Iraq. His visits to the Yasukuni Shrine caused some tension with neighboring countries like China and South Korea. Koizumi stepped down as prime minister in 2006. Years later, he became a strong supporter of ending nuclear power in Japan. This was after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Early Life and Political Beginnings

Junichiro Koizumi comes from a family of politicians. His father, Jun'ya Koizumi, was a government minister. His grandfather, Koizumi Matajirō, was also a minister. He was known as the "Tattoo Minister" because of a large tattoo. He also supported privatizing the postal service early on.

Koizumi was born in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, on January 8, 1942. He went to Keio University and earned a degree in economics. He also studied at University College London. He returned to Japan in 1969 after his father passed away.

In 1970, he worked as a secretary for Takeo Fukuda. Fukuda later became prime minister. In 1972, Koizumi was elected to the Lower House of Parliament. He took over the seat his father used to hold. He was re-elected ten times after that.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

Koizumi as Health Minister, 1997

Koizumi got his first important job in 1979. He became the Parliamentary Vice Minister of Finance. In 1988, he became a full minister for the first time. He was the Minister of Health and Welfare. He held other cabinet jobs in the 1990s. These included Minister of Posts and Telecommunications.

In 1994, Koizumi joined a new group within his party called "YKK." This group included younger, motivated politicians. The name "YKK" came from the first letters of their last names.

Koizumi tried to become the leader of the LDP in 1995 and 1998. However, he didn't win much support then. But after some political events in 2000, Koizumi became the strongest voice for reform in his party.

On April 24, 2001, Koizumi was elected president of the LDP. Many people thought he was an unlikely choice. But he won by a large number of votes. He became the Prime Minister of Japan on April 26, 2001. His party also won many seats in the Upper House elections that July.

Prime Minister: Leading Japan

Domestic Policy: Changes at Home

When Koizumi became prime minister, he wanted to boost Japan's economy. He aimed to fix problems with bank debts. He also wanted to privatize the postal savings system. He believed that some tough changes were needed for a better future.

In 2002, Koizumi appointed Heizō Takenaka to help with the banking crisis. Bad debts in banks were greatly reduced. The Japanese economy slowly but steadily got better. The stock market also improved a lot. Japan's economy grew well in 2004.

Koizumi also shifted his party's focus. The LDP traditionally relied on support from rural areas. But Koizumi moved it towards more urban areas. He also reduced government money for big projects in the countryside. This made him a popular but sometimes controversial figure.

Foreign Policy: Japan's Role in the World

Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi and U.S. President George W. Bush meet at the White House on September 25, 2001.

Koizumi's foreign policy focused on strong ties with the United States. He supported U.S. policies in the War on Terrorism. He decided to send Japan's military, the Japan Self-Defense Forces, to Iraq. This was the first time Japanese troops were sent to an active war zone since World War II.

Many people believed that Koizumi's good relationship with U.S. President George W. Bush helped Japan and the U.S. stay close. They even played baseball together. Koizumi also took a stronger stance on issues with North Korea.

Visits to Yasukuni Shrine

Koizumi was often talked about for his visits to the Yasukuni Shrine. He visited the shrine six times as prime minister. This shrine honors Japan's war dead. It also includes some convicted Japanese war criminals. These visits caused strong protests from Japan's neighbors, especially China and South Korea. These countries have painful memories of Japan's actions in the early 20th century.

Because of these visits, leaders from China and South Korea refused to meet Koizumi. There were no official visits between Chinese and Japanese leaders for a long time. The same happened with South Korean leaders.

Koizumi said his visits were as a private citizen. He claimed they were not political. But he signed the guestbook as "Junichiro Koizumi, the Prime Minister of Japan." He visited the shrine every year as he had promised during his election campaign. His last visit as prime minister was on August 15, 2006. This was the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

Statements on World War II

On August 15, 2005, Koizumi publicly apologized for Japan's actions in World War II. He said, "I would like to express keen remorse and heartfelt apologies." He promised that Japan would never again "take the path to war."

Popularity: A Leader Loved by Many

Koizumi meets children in Sea Island, Georgia, shortly before the 2004 G8 summit.

Koizumi was a very popular leader at times. People called him "Lionheart" and "Maverick." The Japanese public even called him Jun-chan, which is a friendly nickname. In June 2001, about 80 percent of people approved of him.

His popularity went down for a while in 2002. This was due to an economic slowdown and some scandals. But he was re-elected in 2003, and his popularity grew again as the economy got better.

In 2005, a bill to privatize the postal service was rejected. Koizumi had said he would call for new elections if it failed. He then dissolved the House of Representatives and called for new elections. He even removed members of his own party who didn't support the bill.

Koizumi's popularity jumped almost 20 points after this. People saw the election as a vote for or against postal reform. The September 2005 elections were a huge victory for his party. They won a large majority. Many new politicians who supported Koizumi, called "Koizumi Children," joined the parliament.

Retirement from Politics

Koizumi had announced he would step down in 2006. He did not choose his successor. On September 20, 2006, Shinzo Abe was chosen to replace him. Abe became prime minister on September 26, 2006.

Koizumi stayed in parliament for a few more years. But he announced his full retirement from politics on September 25, 2008. His son, Shinjirō Koizumi, was elected to the same parliamentary seat in 2009. Since leaving office, Koizumi has mostly stayed out of the public eye.

Anti-Nuclear Advocacy

Koizumi returned to public attention in 2013. He gave a speech saying, "We should aim to be nuclear-free." This was a big change because he had supported nuclear power as prime minister. He changed his mind after the Fukushima disaster in 2011.

He said Japan should work towards a society based on renewable energy. His strong words were widely reported in the news. Some people even wondered if he would start a new political party. Koizumi defended his new stance. He said it was "irresponsible" to think nuclear power plants could be maintained safely forever. He learned that nuclear waste needs to be sealed for 100,000 years.

A poll in November 2013 showed that 54% of the public supported Koizumi's anti-nuclear views. He said he felt lied to by power companies. They had told him nuclear power was a safe alternative to fossil fuels.

Koizumi supported Morihiro Hosokawa for Governor of Tokyo in 2014. Hosokawa ran on an anti-nuclear platform. They lost the election, but continued to work together to promote anti-nuclear ideas.

Personal Life and Interests

Family Life

Koizumi lives in Yokosuka, Kanagawa. He married Kayoko Miyamoto in 1978. They had three sons. The marriage ended in divorce in 1982. Koizumi never married again. He said divorce was much harder than marriage.

Koizumi raised two of his sons, Kōtarō and Shinjirō Koizumi, with the help of his sister. Shinjiro is now a politician, like his father. Kotaro is an actor. His youngest son, Yoshinaga, was born after the divorce. He did not meet his father for many years. Yoshinaga finally met his father and brothers in 2010.

Hobbies and Passions

Koizumi, hosted by U.S. President George W. Bush, at Graceland in 2006

Koizumi is a big fan of German composer Richard Wagner. He also likes the Italian composer Ennio Morricone. He is a fan of the heavy metal band X Japan. His party even used their song "Forever Love" in TV ads.

Koizumi is also a well-known fan of Elvis Presley. They share the same birthday, January 8. In 2001, he released a CD of his favorite Elvis songs. His brother is a senior advisor for the Tokyo Elvis Presley Fan Club. In 2006, Koizumi visited Elvis's home, Graceland, with U.S. President George W. Bush. He even sang some Elvis songs there!

He also likes Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. In 2006, he visited Sibelius's home in Finland. He owns copies of all of Sibelius's symphonies.

In 2009, Koizumi even did some voice acting. He played the voice of Ultraman King in a movie. He said his son Shinjiro encouraged him to do it. His political career is also parodied in a Japanese comic book series.

Koizumi Cabinets

Notes:

1. Makiko Tanaka was fired on January 29, 2002. Koizumi was the interim foreign minister until February 1. Then he appointed Yoriko Kawaguchi to the job. Koizumi appointed Hiroshi Oki to replace Kawaguchi.
2. Oshima resigned on March 31, 2003, because of a farm-subsidy scandal. He was replaced by Kamei.
3. Takenaka also held the job of Minister of State for Postal Privatization. He was the only person to serve in Koizumi's cabinet through all five changes.
4. Fukuda resigned on May 7, 2004, and was replaced by Hosoda.

See also

In Spanish: Jun'ichirō Koizumi para niños

• List of prime ministers of Japan
• First Koizumi Cabinet
• Second Koizumi Cabinet
• Third Koizumi Cabinet