is a Japanese
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
and former banker. He is a member of the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
in the
Diet of Japan
The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...
and previously served as leader of the
Vision of Reform party, which he formed in December 2015. A native of
Kofu, Yamanashi, he graduated from the
University of Tokyo
, 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 ...
and received a master's degree in political science from
Saitama University
Saitama University (埼玉大学, ''Saitama Daigaku'') is a Japanese national university located in a suburban area of Sakura-ku, Saitama City, capital of Saitama Prefecture in Tokyo Metropolitan Area.
Founded in 1873, it became a national uni ...
. Shortly after graduating, he studied economics and policy under Eisuke Sakakibara. Before joining the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
, he worked at
Tokyo Bank
is the largest bank in Japan. It was established on January 1, 2006, following the merger of the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Ltd. and UFJ Bank Ltd. MUFG is one of the three so-called Japanese "megabanks" (along with SMBC and Mizuho). As such, ...
and served as an advisor to several lawmakers. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1993 as a member of
Morihiro Hosokawa
is a Japanese politician and Nobility, noble who was Prime Minister of Japan from 1993 to 1994, leading a coalition government which was the first non-Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) government of Japan since 1955 ...
's
Japan New Party
The was a Japanese political party that existed briefly from 1992 to 1994.
The party, considered liberal, was founded by Morihiro Hosokawa, a former Diet member and Kumamoto Prefecture governor, who left the Liberal Democratic Party to protest ...
. He was the
Minister of the Environment
An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of an ...
during
Yukio Hatoyama
is a former Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 16 September 2009 to 8 June 2010. He was the first Prime Minister from the modern Democratic Party of Japan.
First elected to the House of Representatives in 1986, Hatoy ...
's prime ministership in 2009–2010.
Early career
In 1981, Sakihito obtained a job within the
Bank of Tokyo. Two years later, Sakihito received an invitation from Representative Takujiro Hamada to join the Freedom Society Forum policy study group and became its Secretary General.
In 1992, Sakihito joined the
Japan New Party
The was a Japanese political party that existed briefly from 1992 to 1994.
The party, considered liberal, was founded by Morihiro Hosokawa, a former Diet member and Kumamoto Prefecture governor, who left the Liberal Democratic Party to protest ...
under
Morihiro Hosokawa
is a Japanese politician and Nobility, noble who was Prime Minister of Japan from 1993 to 1994, leading a coalition government which was the first non-Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) government of Japan since 1955 ...
. During Morihiro's tenure, Sakihito served as a policy advisor. After Mohiro's resignation and the collapse of the JNP, Sakihito joined
New Party Saigake. Two years later, Sakihito contested a seat within the
Southern Kanto PR block, Sakihito won the seat and entered the diet. Sakihito joined the
Democratic Party of Japan
The was a centristThe Democratic Party of Japan was widely described as centrist:
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* to centre-left liberal or social-liberal political party in Japan from 1998 to 2016.
The party's origins lie in the previous Democratic Part ...
in 1998. During the late 90s, Sakihito held numerous positions within the DPJ, including Deputy Secretary General and Director of the Policy Research Council.
During the 2000s, Sakihito held many environment-related committee roles. In 2004, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Committee on the environment in the House of Representatives. In 2008, he was appointed as the Deputy-Chief of the Global Warming Prevention Headquarters.
Minister of the Environment
As Minister of the Environment, Sakihito spearheaded multiple initiatives related to global warming, including a 25% reduction in Carbon Dioxide emissions known as the "Hatoyama Initiative". However, his proposals were met with opposition by business lobbyists, who argued that such initiatives could hamper economic growth and worsen the contextual recession.
Sakihito encouraged other nations to adopt a cap on Carbon Dioxide emissions.
Sakihito encouraged the research and implementation of electric powered taxis throughout
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, in an effort to reduce emissions and improve air quality
In December 2009, Sakihito created a $15 billion
climate aid
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...
package for developing countries, in an effort to fight
desertification
Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly arid. It is the spread of arid areas caused by ...
and climate change in developing countries. Sakihito also entered Japan into a $3.5 billion forest preservation pact with America, Australia, France, the United Kingdom and Norway.
Post-Cabinet
In 2011, Sakihito was appointed as Chair of the DPJ tax panel. He advocated for the central bank to purchase debt and an increase in bond sales, to serve as an alternative to Naoto Kan's proposed tax hike after the
2011 earthquake.
In 2012, Sakihito joined the nationalist
Japan Restoration Party
The , also referred to in English as the Japan Restoration Association, was a Japanese political party. It was launched on 12 September 2012 and gained official recognition on 28 September 2012. The party grew from the regional Osaka Restoration ...
. He helped to sponsor a bill to legalise casino gambling in 2014. He encouraged cross-party dialogue and bi-partisanship in the process of legalizing casino gambling.
References
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External links
Official websitein Japanese.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ozawa, Sakihito
1954 births
Living people
Politicians from Yamanashi Prefecture
University of Tokyo alumni
Members of the House of Representatives (Japan)
Environment ministers of Japan
Japan New Party politicians
Democratic Party of Japan politicians
Vision of Reform politicians
Nippon Ishin no Kai politicians
21st-century Japanese politicians
People from Kōfu, Yamanashi