Morihiro Hosokawa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Morihiro Hosokawa
細川 護熙
Official portrait, 1993
Prime Minister of Japan
In office 9 August 1993 – 28 April 1994
Monarch	Akihito
Preceded by	Kiichi Miyazawa
Succeeded by	Tsutomu Hata
Leader of the New Party
In office 22 May 1992 – 9 December 1994
Preceded by	Party established
Succeeded by	Party abolished
Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture
In office 11 February 1983 – 10 February 1991
Monarch	Hirohito Akihito
Preceded by	Issei Sawada
Succeeded by	Joji Fukushima
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 18 July 1993 – 7 May 1998
Preceded by	Shōichi Tanaka
Succeeded by	Eiichi Iwashita
Constituency	Former Kumamoto 1st (1993–1996) Kumamoto 1st (1996–1998)
Member of the House of Councillors
In office 26 July 1992 – 4 July 1993
Preceded by	Multi-member district
Succeeded by	Keizō Kojima
Constituency	National PR
In office 4 July 1971 – 11 February 1983
Preceded by	Multi-member district
Succeeded by	Masaru Urata
Constituency	National district (1971–1977) Kumamoto at-large (1977–1983)
Personal details
Born	(1938-01-14) 14 January 1938 (age 87) Tokyo, Empire of Japan
Political party	Democratic (1998–2016)
Other political affiliations	LDP (until 1992) JNP (1992–1994) NFP (1994–1997) From Five (1997–1998) GGP (1998)
Spouse	Kayoko Ueda ​ (m. 1971)​
Children	3 (including Morimitsu)
Relatives	Tadateru Konoe (brother)
Alma mater	Sophia University
Signature

Morihiro Hosokawa (細川 護煕, Hosokawa Morihiro, born 14 January 1938) is a Japanese politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1993 to 1994. He led a special group of eight political parties. This was the first time since 1955 that Japan's government was not led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Morihiro Hosokawa was born into an important family in Kumamoto Prefecture. His grandfather was Prince Fumimaro Konoe, who was also a prime minister. Hosokawa studied at Sophia University. After that, he worked as a journalist for the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. In 1971, he was elected to Japan's parliament, called the National Diet. Later, he became the governor of his home area, Kumamoto, from 1983 to 1991.

In 1992, Hosokawa left the LDP. He started a new party called the Japan New Party. This party wanted to make changes in politics. In the 1993 general election, his new party won 35 seats. The LDP lost its main power, and an eight-party group, led by Hosokawa, took over. He started important changes to how elections worked. In 1994, he stepped down, and Tsutomu Hata took over the leadership of the group. Hosokawa later joined other parties before leaving politics. Since 2005, he has been the head of the Hosokawa clan, a very old family in Japan.

Early Life and Education

Morihiro Hosokawa was born in Tokyo. He was the oldest grandson of Moritatsu, 3rd Marquess Hosokawa. His family was the head of the Hosokawa clan. His mother's father was Prince Fumimaro Konoe, who was prime minister of Japan several times. Hosokawa is also related to the current emperor, Naruhito. He is a descendant of a famous Christian woman named Gracia Hosokawa.

Hosokawa earned his law degree from Sophia University in 1961.

Political Journey

After college, Hosokawa worked as a journalist for the Asahi Shimbun newspaper for five years. In 1969, he tried to get elected to parliament but didn't win that time. In 1971, he was elected to the House of Councillors of Japan. This is one of the two houses of Japan's parliament. He represented Kumamoto Prefecture and was part of the LDP.

After serving two terms in the National Diet, Hosokawa left in 1983. He became the governor of Kumamoto, his home prefecture. He served as governor until 1991. During his time as governor, he often spoke about how the central government's powerful rules affected local areas. Hosokawa worked to improve the economy and made stronger laws to protect the environment. In May 1992, he decided to form a new party. It was called the Japan New Party (JNP). This party wanted to bring about political changes. The JNP won four seats in the 1992 election. Hosokawa took one of these seats.

Becoming Prime Minister (1993–1994)

Hosokawa at the United Nations General Assembly in September 1993

In the July 1993 general election, something big happened. The LDP, which had been in power for 38 years, lost its majority in the parliament. They won only 223 out of 511 seats. The government led by Kiichi Miyazawa of the LDP was replaced. A new group of eight parties formed a government. This new group promised to make many social, political, and economic changes.

This group included Hosokawa's new party, the Japan New Party. It also included the Japan Socialist Party, the Japan Renewal Party, Komeito, and others. Together, they had 243 seats. Hosokawa was a key person in bringing these parties together. He was chosen to be the new Prime Minister.

Walter Mondale, who was the US ambassador to Japan at the time, said Hosokawa was good at focusing on big ideas. However, the parties in Hosokawa's group did not always agree on everything. Their main shared goal was to oppose the LDP. This made it difficult for Hosokawa during his time as prime minister. He also wanted to change how Japan's government offices worked.

Foreign Relations

Hosokawa with Boris Yeltsin in October 1993

Hosokawa with Bill Clinton at the APEC Summit in November 1993

As prime minister, Hosokawa made important steps to apologize to Japan's Asian neighbors. These apologies were for actions taken during World War II. In his first press conference, he clearly stated that Japan had waged a war of aggression.

He later explained that Japan had caused great suffering and loss of life in China, Korea, and Southeast Asian countries. He believed it was important to admit this. On November 6, 1993, he visited South Korea. There, he met with President Kim Young-sam and again apologized to the Korean people. This was praised in Korea. Hosokawa believed that Japan's takeover of Korea was wrong.

On March 19, 1994, he visited China. The two countries signed an agreement to work together on protecting the environment. Hosokawa's actions towards China and Korea even inspired Russian president Boris Yeltsin to apologize to Hosokawa. This apology was for the Soviet Union holding Japanese prisoners of war in Siberia. Hosokawa thought that if they had both stayed in office longer, relations between Russia and Japan would have gotten much better. Hosokawa also had a good relationship with US President Bill Clinton. However, trade disagreements between Japan and the United States were a big topic during his time.

Changes at Home

The Hosokawa government worked to change Japan's election laws. These changes aimed to stop political corruption. They wanted to stop companies from giving money directly to individual politicians. They also wanted to redraw the election map. These changes were meant to prevent the LDP from using old election practices. After much debate, the LDP managed to keep some of their advantages. They kept corporate donations but with a limit. They also made sure that most politicians would keep their same election areas. These compromises made the public less happy with Hosokawa's government.

In December 1993, a new law was passed. It aimed to help people with disabilities live more independently. It also encouraged them to take part in activities like culture, economy, and community life. On March 30, 1994, rules about industrial safety were updated. Accidents involving cranes or broken wires had to be reported to the authorities. On April 1, 1994, a 40-hour workweek was introduced in Japan.

Hosokawa also cut income and resident taxes. This was meant to help Japan recover from a difficult economic time. After discussions with the finance ministry, the government announced a plan to increase the sales tax from 3% to 7% in 1997. This idea caused disagreements within the government. Hosokawa announced the increase but then took it back the next day. The tax stayed at 3%. This issue weakened his government's power. The sales tax was later increased to 5% in 1997 by a different prime minister.

Resignation

Hosokawa had to resign in April 1994. This happened after it was revealed that he had received a large loan from a company. This company had been accused of being involved in bribery. Hosokawa said the money was a loan and showed a receipt that he had paid it back. Even though many people still liked Hosokawa, some felt he could not meet the high hopes set for him.

Hosokawa's resignation was sudden. It led to many meetings to try and save the group of parties he led. After he resigned, Tsutomu Hata took over the leadership of the group.

Hosokawa's Cabinet

Hosokawa with his government ministers in August 1993

The group of ministers who worked with Morihiro Hosokawa was called the Hosokawa Cabinet. It was made up of people from his multi-party group. However, many of the main ministers were from the Shinseito party. Hosokawa's own Japan New Party did not have other members in the cabinet.

Life After Politics

Hosokawa joined the New Frontier Party in 1994. But he left in 1997 with four other politicians. They formed a small party called From Five. In 1998, From Five joined another party, which then joined the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).

After the LDP came back to power in 1994, Hosokawa worked with Junichiro Koizumi from the LDP. They talked about Japan possibly becoming a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. This idea was not very popular in the LDP. However, Hosokawa and Koizumi stayed close friends. Hosokawa sometimes helped Koizumi with relations between Japan and China.

Hosokawa retired from politics in 1998 when he was 60 years old. In his retirement, he started making pottery. He studied for 18 months with a pottery master. Hosokawa's pottery has been shown in Japan and Europe. He uses his pottery for tea ceremonies. He is also a special advisor to The Japan Times newspaper. When his father passed away in 2005, Hosokawa became the head of the Hosokawa family.

Running for Tokyo Governor

Hosokawa campaigning in Tokyo in 2014

In 2014, when he was 75, Hosokawa was asked to run for governor of Tokyo. He first said no. But then former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi encouraged him to run. Koizumi wanted to gather public support against Prime Minister Shinzō Abe's policies on nuclear power. Hosokawa then decided to run. Many people saw this election as a competition between Abe and Koizumi.

Hosokawa announced he was running on January 14, with Koizumi by his side. Several important people from his 1993-94 government supported his campaign. This included Banri Kaieda and Ichirō Ozawa.

During his campaign, Hosokawa spoke against the government's nuclear power plans. He said that Tokyo uses a lot of electricity but sends nuclear power plants and waste to other regions. He also questioned if aggressive foreign policy would help the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo be peaceful.

Hosokawa did not gain enough support. He was behind the other main candidate, Yōichi Masuzoe, in the polls. Masuzoe won the election on February 9. However, Hosokawa promised to keep speaking out against nuclear power.

Personal Life

Hosokawa lives in Yugawara, Kanagawa. He married Kayoko Ueda on October 23, 1971. His wife, Kayoko Hosokawa, has been involved in many good causes. She was the honorary chair of the Special Olympics Nippon Foundation. She also led groups that provide vaccines to children in developing countries and help people with intellectual disabilities. Morihiro and Kayoko have three children: Morimitsu, Satoko, and Yūko.

See also

In Spanish: Morihiro Hosokawa para niños