Daishiro Yamagiwa (山際 大志郎, Yamagiwa Daishirō, born September 12, 1968) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives (2003–2005: Southern Kanto proportional representation block, 2005–2009 and 2012–present: Kanagawa 18th district) in the Diet (national legislature). He served as Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization under the cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida from October 2021 to October 2022.[1]
Daishiro Yamagiwa | |
---|---|
山際 大志郎 | |
Minister of Economic Revitalization | |
In office 10 August 2022 – 25 October 2022 | |
Prime Minister | Fumio Kishida |
Succeeded by | Shigeyuki Goto |
Personal details | |
Born | Koganei, Tokyo, Japan | 12 September 1968
Political party | Liberal Democratic |
A native of Kamakura, Kanagawa, Yamagiwa graduated from Yamaguchi University and received a Ph.D. in veterinary medicine from the University of Tokyo. After working as a veterinarian, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2003.
Within the LDP, Yamagiwa has served as Parliamentary Secretary of Cabinet Office, and as a member of the Committee on Cabinet.[2]
On 10 August 2022, seven ministers were purged because of ties to the Unification Church following the assassination of Shinzo Abe and increasing media scrutiny of LDP officials' close ties with the church.[3][4] The Kishida administration had asked ministers to disclose any connections to the church prior to reshuffling the second cabinet. After the new cabinet was formed Yamagiwa announced that he had previously paid membership fees and attended a Unification Church event.[5] He resigned from his cabinet position on 24 October 2022, expressing regret for his actions and stating that he will remain as a member of the Diet because he did not do anything illegal.[1]
Yamagiwa is affiliated to the openly revisionist lobby Nippon Kaigi,[6] and a member of the Shintō Seiji Renmei Diet group.
Yamagiwa gave the following answers to the questionnaire submitted by Mainichi to parliamentarians in 2012:[7]