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Yoshiro Mori
森 喜朗
Yoshiro Mori 20000405.jpg
Official portrait, 2000
Prime Minister of Japan
In office
5 April 2000 – 26 April 2001
Monarch Akihito
Preceded by Keizō Obuchi
Succeeded by Junichiro Koizumi
President of the Liberal Democratic Party
In office
5 April 2000 – 24 April 2001
Secretary-General
Preceded by Keizō Obuchi
Succeeded by Junichiro Koizumi
Minister of Construction
In office
8 August 1995 – 11 January 1996
Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama
Preceded by Koken Nosaka
Succeeded by Eiichi Nakao
Minister of International Trade and Industry
In office
12 December 1992 – 20 July 1993
Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa
Preceded by Kozo Watanabe
Succeeded by Hiroshi Kumagai
Minister of Education
In office
27 December 1983 – 1 November 1984
Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone
Preceded by Mitsuo Setoyama
Succeeded by Hikaru Matsunaga
President of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games
In office
21 August 2016 – 18 February 2021
IOC President Thomas Bach
Preceded by Carlos Arthur Nuzman
Succeeded by Seiko Hashimoto
Chair of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games
In office
24 January 2014 – 18 February 2021
Preceded by Committee established
Succeeded by Seiko Hashimoto
Member of the House of Representatives
from Ishikawa
In office
28 December 1969 – 20 October 1996
Preceded by Eiichi Sakata
Succeeded by Constituency abolished
Constituency 1st district (Multi-member)
In office
20 October 1996 – 16 November 2012
Preceded by Constituency established
Succeeded by Hajime Sasaki
Constituency 2nd district
Personal details
Born (1937-07-14) 14 July 1937 (age 87)
Nomi, Ishikawa, Empire of Japan
Political party Liberal Democratic (Seiwakai)
Spouse Chieko Maki
Children Yūki Mori
Yoko Fujimoto
Alma mater Waseda University (BBA)
Website Yoshiro Mori WebSite

Yoshirō Mori (森 喜朗, Mori Yoshirō, born 14 July 1937) is a Japanese politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Japan and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party from 2000 to 2001. During his time as prime minister, he was not very popular. He is also known for making some statements that caused controversy.

Mori was born in a place called Nomi, Ishikawa in Japan. Before he became a politician, he worked as a journalist. In 1969, he was elected to the lower house of the Japanese parliament. He held several important government jobs, including education minister, international trade and industry minister, and construction minister. Later, he became a top leader in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

In April 2000, the prime minister at the time, Keizō Obuchi, became very ill. Yoshiro Mori then became the new leader of the LDP and the Prime Minister. His time as prime minister was often in the news because of his comments. These comments made him unpopular with the public. Some members of his team also resigned, which added to his low popularity. In April 2001, Mori decided to step down. Junichiro Koizumi then took over as prime minister.

After leaving the prime minister's office, Mori remained a member of parliament until 2012. He continued to be involved in important discussions between Japan and Russia because he had a good relationship with Vladimir Putin. He also led the Japan Rugby Football Union. In 2014, he was chosen to lead the committee for the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo. However, he resigned from this role in 2021 after making comments that were seen as sexist.

Early Life and Education

Yoshiro Mori was born in Nomi, Ishikawa, Japan. His parents, Shigeki and Kaoru Mori, were wealthy rice farmers. His father and grandfather had both been mayors of their town, Neagari, Ishikawa. Mori's mother passed away when he was seven years old.

He went to Waseda University in Tokyo. There, he joined the rugby union club and became very passionate about the sport. He once said that rugby taught him about teamwork, explaining that "one person doesn't become a star, one person plays for all, and all play for one."

After university, Mori worked for a newspaper called Sankei Shimbun.

Becoming a Politician

Tomiichi Murayama Cabinet 19950808
Mori with members of the Murayama Reshuffled Cabinet in 1995.

In 1962, Mori left his job at the newspaper. He started working for a member of the Japanese parliament. In 1969, at 32 years old, he was elected to the lower house of parliament. He was reelected ten times in a row.

Mori served as the education minister from 1983 to 1984. He was also the international trade and industry minister from 1992 to 1993. Later, he became the construction minister from 1995 to 1996. In 1999, he took on a leadership role within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Time as Prime Minister

In April 2000, the prime minister, Keizō Obuchi, became very ill. The government held an emergency meeting, and everyone in the cabinet resigned. Mori, who was a top leader in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was chosen to be the new president of the party. He then became the prime minister. He decided to keep the same cabinet members that Obuchi had.

Challenges and Resignation

President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori
Mori meeting with U.S. President Bill Clinton in 2000.
Mahathir Mohamad and Yoshirō Mori
Mori shakes hands with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 2000.
President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori shake hands during a meeting in the Oval Office - 2001
Mori meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush in 2001.

News reports during Mori's time as prime minister often focused on his controversial comments. These comments made him very unpopular with the public. Some of his top officials also resigned because of money-related issues.

In November 2000, Mori's popularity was very low. Some politicians tried to remove him from office, but this attempt failed. His approval ratings continued to drop. In April 2001, Mori officially announced that he would resign. Junichiro Koizumi then won the election to become the new LDP leader and prime minister.

After Being Prime Minister

After resigning as prime minister, Mori continued to be a member of the House of Representatives. He represented the Ishikawa 2nd district until he decided not to run for election in December 2012.

In 2004, he received the Padma Bhushan, which is a high honor from India.

His Connection to Russia

Vladimir Putin 25 March 2001-2
Mori with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2001.

Mori remained important in the relationship between Japan and Russia. This was because he had a close personal friendship with Vladimir Putin. Even after he was no longer prime minister, he was considered for helping to solve disagreements between the two countries.

In 2013, Mori met with Putin to prepare for a meeting between Putin and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. Mori had a unique connection to Russia. His father, Shigeki Mori, had a special relationship with a Siberian town called Shelekhov. His father worked to improve grave sites for soldiers from both countries.

Helping with Sports

Mori became the President of the Japan Rugby Football Union in 2005. He hoped his influence would help Japan host the 2011 Rugby Union World Cup, but New Zealand was chosen instead. Mori later helped Japan successfully bid for the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Summer Olympics.

In 2014, when he was 76, he was chosen to lead the committee for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He joked that this would be his "one last service to the country." However, he faced criticism for comments he made about Japan's Olympic figure skaters.

Another controversy happened in 2021. Mori, who was still leading the Olympic organizing committee, said that women talk too much in meetings. He apologized for his comments and later resigned from his position. He said he did not mean to disrespect women and blamed the media for the public anger. Seiko Hashimoto, an Olympic medalist, took over his role.

Personal Life

Mori is a big fan of rugby and used to play it as a hobby. He is married to Chieko Maki, who also went to Waseda University. They have a son, Yūki Mori, and a daughter, Yoko Fujimoto.

In 2003, he received the Golden Pheasant Award. This is the highest honor from the Scout Association of Japan.

Honours

National
  • Golden Pheasant Award ribbon.svg Golden Pheasant Award (2003)
  • JPN Toka-sho BAR.svg Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers (2017)
Foreign
  • India Padma Bhushan Ribbon.svg Padma Bhushan (2004)
  • Taiwan TWN Order of Brilliant Star 1Class BAR.svg Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon (2006)
  • Russia Ribbon Medal 300 years Saint-Petersburg.png Medal "In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg" (2007)
  • France Legion Honneur GO ribbon.svg Grand Officier, Légion d'honneur (2010)
  • South Korea Order of Diplomatic Service Merit (Class 1) Grand Gwanghwa Medal ribbon.gif Order of Diplomatic Service Merit Grand Gwanghwa Medal (2010)

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