was a Japanese politician who was

Chief Cabinet Secretary The is a member of the cabinet and is the leader and chief executive of the Cabinet Secretariat of Japan. The Chief Cabinet Secretary coordinates the policies of ministries and agencies in the executive branch, and also serves as the government ...

on four separate occasions, and, as well as serving in various other cabinet positions, was also appointed as

Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan The is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives of Japan, and together with the President of the House of Councillors, the Speaker is also the head of the legislative branch of Japan. The Speaker is elected by members of the House ...

. He was also seen as an influential voice within the Liberal Democratic Party.

Early life

Fukunaga was born on 5 August 1910, in Koka, Shiga. He graduated from

Tokyo Imperial University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

in 1933.

Career

After initially working in textiles, and rising to a management position, Fukunaga entered the world of politics and became deputy governor of

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...

in 1947. In 1949, Fukunaga stood for election and became the representative from Saitama 5th (a seat he retained 15 times). In his early years in politics, Fukunaga received extensive political tutoring from

Shigeru Yoshida (22 September 1878 – 20 October 1967) was a Japanese diplomat and politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1946 to 1947 and from 1948 to 1954. Yoshida was one of the longest-serving Japanese prime ministers, and is the third-long ...

, and became a protégé of his, serving in his cabinet twice as

. He then reprised that role in the cabinet of

Eisaku Satō was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1972. He is the third-longest serving Prime Minister, and ranks second in longest uninterrupted service as Prime Minister. Satō entered the National Diet in 1949 as a membe ...

, serving as

twice more, while he briefly served as

Minister of Labour Minister of Labour (in British English) or Labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...

in the interim period under

Hayato Ikeda was a Japanese bureaucrat and later politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1960 to 1964. He is best known for his Income Doubling Plan, which promised to double Japan's GDP in ten years. Ikeda is also known for repairing U.S.-J ...

. It was under

Satō is the most common Japanese surname, often romanized as Sato, Satoh or Satou. A less common variant is . Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese actress and voice actress *, Japanese actress *, Japanese judoka *, Japanese writer * ...

that Fukunaga came into his own, serving as Chair of the LDP General Council in the late 1960s, and playing a key role as a special ambassador in the Japanese government's response to the

Lod Airport massacre The Lod Airport massacre"They were responsible for the Lod Airport massacre in Israel in 1972, which was committed on behalf of the PFLP." Jeffrey D. Simon, ''The Terrorist Trap: America's Experience with Terrorism'', Indiana University Press, ...

. In the 1970s, Fukunaga also served in the

Tanaka is the fourth most common Japanese name, Japanese surname. It is typically written with the kanji for . Less common variants include , , , , and . People with the surname *, Japanese musician formerly known as Boku no Lyric no Bōyomi *, Japane ...

and Fukuda cabinets, and a few years before his death was appointed

, a post he retained until 1985. He remained a key figure within the party until his death. Fukunaga passed away on 31 May 1988.

Honours

*Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

with Pauwlonia Flowers (1986)

References

External links

Historic Japanese cabinets (in Japanese)
kantei.go.jp; accessed 30 January 2018.
Historic LDP Presidents, Secretaries General, Chairs of General Affairs Committee and of Policy Research Committee (in Japanese)
geocities.co.jp/WallStreet-Stock/7643/; accessed 31 March 2018 , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fukunaga, Kenji 1910 births 1988 deaths Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians Speakers of the House of Representatives (Japan) People from Shiga Prefecture University of Tokyo alumni