was a Japanese politician and five-time member of the

House of Representatives of Japan The is the lower house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors is the upper house. The composition of the House is established by and of the Constitution of Japan. The House of Representatives has 465 members, elected for a f ...

. He served in government from 1962 when he joined the Ministry of Construction to 2012. At the time of his death, he was the

Minister of State for Financial Services Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1993, and was re-elected to four consecutive terms. However, when he failed to support postal privatization, the leaders of his party, the Liberal Democratic Party, refused to support his 2005 campaign. As a result, he dropped out of the race. He returned to run again in 2009, this time as a member of a smaller group, the recently founded

People's New Party The People's New Party (国民新党 ''Kokumin Shintō'', PNP) was a Japanese political party formed on August 17, 2005 in the aftermath of the defeat of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Japan Post privatisation bills which led to a snap electi ...

. He won his election, and for the rest of his life was one of only three members of his party to hold a seat in the House.

Early life and education

Matsushita was born on 9 February 1939 in

Satsumasendai, Kagoshima is a Cities of Japan, city located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The modern city of Satsumasendai was established on October 12, 2004, from the merger of the city of Sendai, the towns of Hiwaki, Kagoshima, Hiwaki, Iriki, Kagoshima, Iriki, Ked� ...

. He graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at Kyoto University in March 1962.

Political career

Matsushita first held a post within the Japanese government in April 1962 when he joined the Ministry of Construction. In June 1970, he seconded with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He officially left the Ministry of Construction in June 1992. In 2001, he was appointed Senior Vice Minister of the Cabinet Office, House Committee on Cabinet in 2004. He was the Senior Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. He was the first representative from the

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 ...

to visit

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, where he guaranteed aid to the country in the wake of the

2009 Sumatra earthquakes The first of the 2009 Sumatra earthquakes ( id, Gempa bumi Sumatra 2009) occurred on 30 September off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia with a moment magnitude of 7.6 at . The epicenter was west-northwest of Padang, West Sumatra, and southwest o ...

. During the 2010

World Future Energy Summit The World Future Energy Summit (WFES) is an annual event hosted in the United Arab Emirates, aiming to advance future energy, energy efficiency, and clean technologies. It began in 2008, held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nah ...

, Matsushita once again represented the Japanese government internationally. He was appointed Minister of Financial Services in June 2012.

House of Representatives

Matsushita was first elected to the

in July 1993, and was subsequently elected in October 1996, June 2000, November 2003, and 2009. In the House, he served on directed numerous committees, including the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Special Committee on Disasters, Committee on Rules and Administration, and Special Committee on Okinawa and Northern Problems. He was also Parliamentary Secretary of the

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries may refer to: * Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Cambodia) * Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan) * Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Niue) * Depar ...

. Matsushita was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party for four of his five terms. However, during the 2005 elections, he faced opposition from his party after he failed to support postal privatization. He returned to run in 2009, having left his party for the

. He was a junior member of the party, and one of only four members elected to the House.

Death

Matsushita was found dead in his residence in Tokyo on 10 September 2012. Police stated that he appeared to have committed suicide by hanging himself. Kyodo News, "FSA chief Matsushita kills himself", '' Japan Times'', 12 September 2012, p. 1

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matsushita, Tadahiro 1939 births 2012 deaths Government ministers of Japan Japanese politicians who committed suicide Kyoto University alumni Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) Noda cabinet Politicians from Kagoshima Prefecture People's New Party politicians Suicides by hanging in Japan 21st-century Japanese politicians