- "Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology", retrieved 24 September 2007. is a Japanese politician. He was born in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

to a family of textile wholesalers who had operated the business since the Edo period. He graduated with a BA from Kyoto University's economics department in 1960. At Kyoto University he was a member of the tennis club. Upon graduation Ibuki became a bureaucrat at the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance. Lists of current ministries of finance Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Finance and Ec ...

. He was dispatched to the Japanese embassy in London in 1965, where he stayed for four years. Ibuki entered politics in 1983 at former Finance Minister

Michio Watanabe was a Japanese political figure. He was born in Ōtawara, Tochigi and graduated from the Tokyo College of Commerce (now Hitotsubashi University) in 1942. He worked as a reporter for the ''Yomiuri Shimbun'', a certified tax accountant, and a mem ...

's behest. He is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and has served in a variety of government positions, including

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 ...

(1997~98) and National Public Safety Commission chairman (2000~01). He was appointed Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology on 26 September 2006 as a part of Prime Minister

Shinzō Abe Shinzo Abe ( ; ja, 安倍晋三, Hepburn: , ; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 20 ...

's first cabinet. In this position, he promoted the controversial revision of the Fundamental Law of Education. He was subsequently appointed as Secretary-General of the LDP in September 2007;"Fukuda appoints Ibuki as secretary-general, Tanigaki as policy chief"
''Mainichi Daily News'', 24 September 2007. less than a year later, he was replaced in that position by

Taro Aso Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Afric ...

and was instead appointed as

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

."Fukuda overhauls Cabinet / LDP executive shakeup also elevates Aso to party No. 2"
, ''The Yomiuri Shimbun'', 2 August 2008. He is known for his knowledge of finance and tax and welfare policies.'' Japan Times'', "Fukuda's new lineup", 3 August 2008. He held the post of Finance Minister for less than two months, however, and was replaced by

Shōichi Nakagawa was a Japanese conservative politician in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), who served as Minister of Finance from 24 September 2008 to 17 February 2009. He previously held the posts of Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and Ministry o ...

in the Cabinet of Prime Minister

, appointed on 24 September 2008. On 26 December 2012, Bunmei Ibuki was elected

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 presided over the day of his inauguration, the election of Prime Minister

Personal life

* Ibuki is a fluent English speaker and a believer of

Tenrikyo is a Japanese new religion which is neither strictly monotheistic nor pantheistic, originating from the teachings of a 19th-century woman named Nakayama Miki, known to her followers as "Oyasama". Followers of Tenrikyo believe that God of Origin, ...

. He is a member of the openly revisionist lobby

Nippon Kaigi The Right side up ...

, and affiliated to the fundamentalist shinto lobby Shinto Seiji Renmei Kokkai Giin Kondankai (神道政治連盟国会議員懇談会). * Ibuki is nicknamed "Ibu-King" due to his enduring political influence despite his now-advanced age.

Honours

* : Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

(29 October 2014)Decoraties Staatsbezoeken Japan en Republiek Korea
- website of the Dutch Royal House

References

External links

Discussions on Japanese politics and education
(Streaming and mp3) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ibuki, Bunmei 1938 births Living people 21st-century Japanese politicians Culture ministers of Japan Education ministers of Japan Government ministers of Japan Ministers of Finance of Japan Japanese Shintoists Kyoto University alumni Labor ministers of Japan Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians Members of Nippon Kaigi People from Kyoto Politicians from Kyoto Prefecture Science ministers of Japan Speakers of the House of Representatives (Japan) Sports ministers of Japan Technology ministers of Japan Tenrikyo