Yasuo Fukuda facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yasuo Fukuda
福田 康夫
Official portrait, 2007
Prime Minister of Japan
In office 26 September 2007 – 24 September 2008
Monarch	Akihito
Preceded by	Shinzo Abe
Succeeded by	Tarō Asō
President of the Liberal Democratic Party
In office 23 September 2007 – 22 September 2008
Secretary-General	Bunmei Ibuki Tarō Asō
Preceded by	Shinzo Abe
Succeeded by	Tarō Asō
Chief Cabinet Secretary
In office 27 October 2000 – 7 May 2004
Prime Minister	Yoshirō Mori Junichiro Koizumi
Preceded by	Hidenao Nakagawa
Succeeded by	Hiroyuki Hosoda
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 18 February 1990 – 16 November 2012
Preceded by	Multi-member district
Succeeded by	Tatsuo Fukuda
Constituency	Gunma 3rd (1990–1996) Gunma 4th (1996–2012)
Majority	118,517 (62.83%)
Personal details
Born	(1936-07-16) 16 July 1936 (age 88) Takasaki, Empire of Japan
Political party	Liberal Democratic
Spouse	Kiyoko Fukuda ​ (m. 1966)​
Children	1 (Tatsuo)
Parent	Takeo Fukuda
Alma mater	Waseda University

Yasuo Fukuda (福田 康夫, Fukuda Yasuo, born 16 July 1936) is a Japanese politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 2007 to 2008. Before becoming Prime Minister, he was the Chief Cabinet Secretary from 2000 to 2004. This was the longest time anyone had held that job until Yoshihide Suga served even longer.

After Prime Minister Shinzō Abe resigned, Fukuda was chosen to lead the Liberal Democratic Party. He then became Prime Minister in September 2007. Yasuo Fukuda was special because he was the first son of a former Japanese Prime Minister (Takeo Fukuda) to also become Prime Minister. He resigned on September 1, 2008, and Tarō Asō took his place.

Early Life and Education

Yasuo Fukuda as a child

Yasuo Fukuda was born in Takasaki, Gunma, Japan. He is the oldest son of Takeo Fukuda, who later became Japan's 67th Prime Minister. Yasuo grew up in Setagaya, Tokyo. He went to Azabu High School. In 1959, he graduated from Waseda University with a degree in economics.

After university, he started working at Maruzen Petroleum. For the next 17 years, he was mostly focused on his job. He worked his way up to a section chief, like a typical Japanese "salaryman". From 1962 to 1964, he lived in the United States. When his father, Takeo Fukuda, was Prime Minister from 1976 to 1978, Yasuo worked as his political secretary.

Political Career Beginnings

Yasuo Fukuda (center) with other officials in 2002

In 1990, Fukuda ran for a seat in the House of Representatives and won. He became a deputy director of the Liberal Democratic Party in 1997. In October 2000, he became the Chief Cabinet Secretary for Prime Minister Yoshirō Mori. He kept this job when Junichiro Koizumi became Prime Minister.

Fukuda resigned from his Chief Cabinet Secretary role on May 7, 2004. This happened during a political issue related to the Japanese pension system. In 2006, many thought Fukuda might run to lead the LDP. However, he decided not to. Instead, Shinzō Abe became the leader and Prime Minister. Fukuda believed that prime ministers should not visit Yasukuni Shrine. In June 2006, he and 134 other lawmakers suggested a different, non-religious place for leaders to visit.

Becoming Prime Minister

Yasuo Fukuda was chosen as Prime Minister by the House of Representatives on September 25, 2007.

After Prime Minister Abe resigned in September 2007, Fukuda announced he would run. He wanted to become the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party. Since the LDP had the most seats, their leader would become the new Prime Minister.

Fukuda received a lot of support. Even Fukushiro Nukaga, who first planned to run, supported Fukuda. Fukuda's only opponent, Tarō Asō, knew he would likely lose before the election. On September 23, Fukuda won the election. He received 330 votes, while Aso got 197.

Fukuda was officially chosen as Japan's 91st Prime Minister on September 25. The House of Representatives voted for him with 338 votes. However, the House of Councillors (the upper house), which was controlled by the opposition, chose Ichirō Ozawa. When the two houses disagree, the choice of the lower house (House of Representatives) is usually followed. This is stated in Article 67 of the Constitution. Emperor Akihito officially swore in Fukuda and his cabinet on September 26.

Parliamentary Challenges

On June 11, 2008, the opposition parties in the upper house passed a motion against Fukuda. This was a "censure motion," which means they strongly disapproved of his actions. It was the first time such a motion was passed against a prime minister in Japan's history. They criticized his handling of domestic issues, like a new medical plan. They asked him to resign or call for a new election. The next day, the ruling party in the lower house passed a "motion of confidence" to support Fukuda.

Resignation from Office

Yasuo Fukuda with U.S. President George W. Bush in July 2008

Fukuda with leaders of the G8 in July 2008

On September 1, 2008, Fukuda suddenly announced he would resign. He said he wanted to help the political process work better. His resignation was compared to Abe's resignation a year earlier. Fukuda explained that Abe resigned for health reasons. But he was resigning to help solve the political disagreements between his party and the opposition.

His popularity had dropped because of a medical plan for older people. At one point, less than 30% of people approved of his government. He said: "Today, I have decided to resign. We need a new team for the next session of parliament. My decision is about what I think is best for the future of politics. The opposition party has tried to stop every bill. This has made it hard to put policies into action. For the good of the Japanese people, this should not happen again. If we want to help people's lives, we cannot have political delays. We need a new team to carry out policies."

After his resignation, the LDP held another election for its leader. Tarō Asō was expected to win, and he did. Fukuda and his cabinet officially resigned on September 24, 2008. This made way for a new cabinet led by Aso. Aso was elected Prime Minister by the House of Representatives on the same day.

Diplomatic Efforts

In June 2014, Fukuda visited Beijing for secret meetings with Chinese officials. This was an important meeting because it was the first time in 18 months a senior Japanese political leader met with Chinese officials. During the meeting, Fukuda learned that Chinese President Xi Jinping wanted to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe.

In late July, Fukuda told Abe about the discussion. After Abe agreed, Fukuda went back to Beijing. On July 28, he told President Xi about Abe's agreement. This helped set up the Japan-China summit that happened in November 2014. In 2018, Fukuda also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. This was part of a meeting between business leaders and former officials from China and Japan.

In July 2019, Fukuda spoke at a forum in Hong Kong about trade between China and the U.S. He asked China to think carefully about its role in the world. He said this was "the most serious issue of the era that we are faced with." He added that "Each step China takes not only affects relations between the United States and China, but also the entire world."

Life After Politics

After retiring from politics in 2012, Yasuo Fukuda became the President of the Japan-Indonesia Association.

Fukuda's Cabinet

Fukuda's cabinet was formed on September 26, 2007. It was very similar to the cabinet of his predecessor, Shinzo Abe. After his government started, the public's approval of his cabinet went down. In April 2008, a newspaper reported that 60% of people disapproved of his cabinet. Only 25% approved. Fukuda changed some members of his cabinet on August 1, 2008.

Yasuo Fukuda with the Ministers of his government on September 26, 2007

Images for kids

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  Fukuda at his fundraising party in October 2004

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  Fukuda and US president George W. Bush exchange handshakes following their joint statement at the White House, November 16, 2007

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  Fukuda and US president George W. Bush exchange handshakes following their first meeting at the White House

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  Robert Gates meets with Yasuo Fukuda

Awards and Honors

In March 2008, the President of Croatia, Stjepan Mesić, gave Fukuda an award. It was the Grand Order of Queen Jelena with the Sash and the Croatian Morning Star. This award was given to Fukuda for helping to build good relationships between Japan and Croatia.

See also

In Spanish: Yasuo Fukuda para niños

• Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-IV), 2008.