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
Preceded by	Issei Sawada
Succeeded by	Joji Fukushima
Member of the House of Representatives for Kumamoto 1st district
In office 18 July 1993 – 7 May 1998
Preceded by	Shōichi Tanaka
Succeeded by	Eiichi Iwashita
Member of the House of Councillors
In office 26 July 1992 – 18 July 1993
Constituency	National PR
In office 10 July 1977 – 11 February 1983
Preceded by	Moriyoshi Morinaka
Succeeded by	Masaru Urata
Constituency	Kumamoto at-large
In office 4 July 1971 – 10 July 1977
Constituency	National district
Personal details
Born	(1938-01-14) 14 January 1938 (age 87) Tokyo, Empire of Japan
Political party	DPJ (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. His government was special because it was the first in many years not led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Hosokawa comes from a well-known family in Kumamoto Prefecture. His grandfather was Prince Fumimaro Konoe, who was also a prime minister. Morihiro Hosokawa studied at Sophia University. After working as a journalist, he became a member of Japan's parliament, called the National Diet, in 1971. Later, he served as the governor of Kumamoto Prefecture from 1983 to 1991.

In 1992, Hosokawa started a new political group called the Japan New Party. This party focused on making changes. In the 1993 election, the LDP lost its majority. Hosokawa then led a group of eight different parties to form a new government. He worked on important changes to election rules. After his time as prime minister, he continued in politics for a while. He later retired and became known for his pottery. In 2014, he ran for governor of Tokyo but did not win.

Early Life and Political Start

Morihiro Hosokawa was born in Tokyo in 1938. He was the oldest grandson of the head of the Hosokawa clan, a very old noble family in Japan. His mother's father, Prince Fumimaro Konoe, had been prime minister several times. Hosokawa is also related to the current emperor, Naruhito.

He earned a law degree from Sophia University in 1961. For five years, he worked as a journalist for the newspaper Asahi Shimbun. In 1971, he was elected to the House of Councillors of Japan, which is part of the National Diet. He represented Kumamoto Prefecture.

After serving two terms in the National Diet, Hosokawa became the governor of Kumamoto in 1983. He served as governor until 1991. During this time, he often spoke about the need to change the powerful central government. He also worked to improve the economy and protect the environment in Kumamoto. In 1992, he decided to leave the LDP. He started the Japan New Party to push for political reforms.

Prime Minister of Japan

In July 1993, something big happened in Japanese politics. For the first time in 38 years, the LDP lost its majority in the House of Representatives. This meant they no longer had enough seats to form a government on their own.

The government led by Kiichi Miyazawa (LDP) was replaced by a new group. This was an eight-party coalition government. A coalition is when several political parties join together to form a government. This new group promised many social, political, and economic changes. Morihiro Hosokawa was chosen to be the new Prime Minister.

Hosokawa was seen as someone who focused on big ideas. However, the different parties in his coalition did not always agree. Their main shared goal was to oppose the LDP. Hosokawa also wanted to change how Japan's government offices worked. He aimed to make them more efficient.

Foreign Policy Decisions

As prime minister, Hosokawa made important steps to improve Japan's relationships with its Asian neighbors. In his first press conference, he openly said that Japan had started a war of aggression in World War II. This was a very important statement.

He explained that Japan had caused great suffering in China, Korea, and Southeast Asia. He believed it was important to admit this. In November 1993, he visited South Korea. There, he apologized clearly to the Korean people for Japan's actions during the war. This apology was well received in Korea. Hosokawa believed that Japan's takeover of Korea was wrong.

In March 1994, he visited China. The two countries signed an agreement to work together on protecting the environment. Hosokawa's actions helped improve Japan's image in Asia. Even Russian President Boris Yeltsin apologized to Hosokawa for how Japanese prisoners of war were treated after World War II. Hosokawa also had a good relationship with US President Bill Clinton. However, trade disagreements between Japan and the United States were common during his time.

Domestic Policy Changes

The Hosokawa government worked to change Japan's election laws. The goal was to fight political corruption. They wanted to stop companies from giving money directly to individual politicians. They also aimed to redraw election districts. These changes were meant to make elections fairer. However, the LDP managed to keep some of their old practices. This made some people unhappy with Hosokawa's government.

In December 1993, a law was changed to help people with disabilities. It aimed to help them live more independently and take part in society. In March 1994, new rules were added to improve safety at work. For example, accidents involving cranes had to be reported. Also, on April 1, 1994, a 40-hour workweek was officially introduced in Japan.

Hosokawa also cut income and resident taxes. This was to help Japan recover from an economic slowdown. To make up for these tax cuts, the government thought about raising the consumption tax. This is a tax on goods and services. It was planned to go from 3% to 7%. However, this idea caused disagreements within his government. Hosokawa announced the increase but then quickly took it back. This made his government look weak. The consumption tax was later raised to 5% in 1997 by a different prime minister.

Resignation from Office

Morihiro Hosokawa resigned in April 1994. This happened after it was revealed he had received a large loan from a trucking company. This company had been accused of bribery in the past. Hosokawa said the money was a loan and that he had paid it back. Even though many people still liked him, there were growing doubts about his ability to lead.

His resignation was sudden. It led to many meetings as his coalition tried to stay together. After he left, Tsutomu Hata took over as the new prime minister.

Later Political Life

After leaving the prime minister's office, Hosokawa joined the New Frontier Party in 1994. However, he later left that party in 1997. He then joined the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in 1998.

Hosokawa retired from politics in 1998 when he was 60 years old. In his retirement, he became very interested in pottery. He studied for a long time with a pottery master. His pottery has been shown in Japan and Europe. He uses his pottery for tea ceremonies. He also works as a special advisor for The Japan Times newspaper. In 2005, he became the head of the Hosokawa family after his father passed away.

Tokyo Governor Campaign

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 Hosokawa to speak out against the current government's nuclear energy policies.

Hosokawa announced his plan to run for governor with Koizumi by his side. His campaign was supported by several politicians who had been part of his government in 1993. During his campaign, Hosokawa criticized the government's nuclear policy. He also questioned if aggressive foreign policy would help Tokyo host the 2020 Summer Olympics smoothly.

Hosokawa did not gain enough support and lost the election. However, he promised to keep working against nuclear power.

Personal Life

Morihiro Hosokawa lives in Yugawara, Kanagawa. He married Kayoko Hosokawa on October 23, 1971. His wife has been involved in many charity organizations. These include groups that provide vaccines to children and help people with intellectual disabilities. Morihiro and Kayoko have three children: Morimitsu, Satoko, and Yūko.

Images for kids

• 

  Hosokawa at the United Nations General Assembly on September 27, 1993

• 

  With Boris Yeltsin, Hirohisa Fujii and Masayoshi Takemura in October 1993

• 

  With Bill Clinton at APEC Summit in November 1993

• 

  with the Ministers of Hosokawa Government (at the garden of the Prime Minister's Official Residence on 9 August 1993)

Error: no page names specified (help). In Spanish: Morihiro Hosokawa para niños