Yūko Obuchi

Yuko Obuchi (小渕 優子, Obuchi Yūko, born December 11, 1973, in Bunkyō, Tokyo) is a Japanese politician. She is a member of the House of Representatives for the Liberal Democratic Party. She briefly served as Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry during the Abe government, but was forced to resign.

Obuchi (far right) meeting with United States Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy (far left) in 2014.
Yuko Obuchi
小渕 優子
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
In office
3 September 2014  21 October 2014
Prime MinisterShinzō Abe
Preceded byToshimitsu Motegi
Succeeded byYoichi Miyazawa
Member of Parliament
for Gunma 5th district
Assumed office
2000
Preceded byKeizō Obuchi
Personal details
Born (1973-12-11) December 11, 1973
Tokyo, Japan
Political partyLiberal Democratic Party
ParentsKeizō Obuchi
Alma materSeijo University

A graduate of Seijo University which has produced many actors and television personalities, Obuchi worked at the broadcaster TBS from 1996 to 1998. She was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2000, winning her father's former Diet seat when he died shortly after suffering a stroke while in office. Her father is former prime minister Keizō Obuchi and her grandfather former member of the House of Representatives Mitsuhei Obuchi.

On September 24, 2008, Obuchi and Shinjirō Koizumi was appointed Minister of State for Social Affairs and Gender Equality in the cabinet of Prime Minister Tarō Asō. This made her Japan's youngest cabinet member in the post-war era.[1] Her party was out of office from September, 2009 until December 2012. In December 2012, she was appointed Vice Minister of Finance by the new Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, and on 3 September 2014, she was made Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry in Abe's cabinet.[2] As such, she became the minister responsible for the nuclear industry in Japan, with partial responsibility for the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster clean-up.

Resignation

Obuchi resigned from her position as the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry on October 19, 2014, amid allegations of abuse of donation funds.[3] Her departure has been seen as a blow to the Shinzō Abe administration.[4]

References

House of Representatives of Japan
Preceded by
Keizō Obuchi
Representative for Gunma's 5th district
2000 –
Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Toshimitsu Motegi
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
2014
Succeeded by
Yoichi Miyazawa
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