Hirokazu Matsuno (松野 博一, Matsuno Hirokazu, born September 13, 1962) is a Japanese politician who served as the Chief Cabinet Secretary from October 2021 until December 2023.[2] He is serving in the House of Representatives as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.[3]
Hirokazu Matsuno | |
---|---|
松野 博一 | |
Chief Cabinet Secretary | |
In office 4 October 2021 – 14 December 2023 | |
Prime Minister | Fumio Kishida |
Preceded by | Katsunobu Katō |
Succeeded by | Yoshimasa Hayashi[1] |
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology | |
In office 3 August 2016 – 3 August 2017 | |
Prime Minister | Shinzō Abe |
Preceded by | Hiroshi Hase |
Succeeded by | Yoshimasa Hayashi |
Personal details | |
Born | Kisarazu, Japan | 13 September 1962
Political party | Liberal Democratic Party |
Alma mater | Waseda University |
A native of Kisarazu, Chiba and graduate of Waseda University, Matsuno originally wanted to work in the film industry but instead took a job in advertising at Lion Corporation.[4] He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2000 after an unsuccessful run in 1996.
In the August 3, 2016 reshuffle, Matsuno joined the Shinzō Abe cabinet as Minister of education. Matsuno became the Chief Cabinet Secretary in the Cabinet of Japan under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Matsuno was one of several cabinet ministers who resigned from their posts in December 2023 amid allegations of a slush fund involving members of the LDP.[5]
Affiliated to the openly revisionist lobby Nippon Kaigi,[6] along with most members of the Abe cabinet, Matsuno denies the existence of the Imperial Japan sex slavery system known under the euphemism 'Comfort women',[7] and in 2014 demanded the revision of the Kono and Murayama statements, considered as landmark declarations from Japanese governments towards the recognition of war crimes.[8]
Matsuno is also a member of the following right-wing Diet groups:[6]
Matsuno has expressed doubt that the 1923 Kantō Massacre occurred.[9][10] In a 2023 press conference, he stated that there was insufficient evidence for the event, directly contradicting a 2009 expert panel of the government's Central Disaster Management Council. Matsuno disavowed the conclusions found by that panel.[9][10]
In November 2023 Japanese prosecutors began voluntarily questioning members of several factions of the LDP, including the largest faction of which Matsuno was a member, on suspicion of receiving slush fund money in the form of revenues from fundraising parties totaling over ¥100 million that had not been reported in political funding statements.[11][12] On December 8, 2023, it was reported that Matsuno allegedly failed to declare over ¥10 million in income over the previous five years.[12] The following day, multiple news outlets reported that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was preparing to replace Matsuno as Chief Cabinet Secretary.[13][14] On December 12 the lower house, of which the LDP holds a majority, voted down a motion of no confidence against Matsuno that had been put forward by the opposing Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.[15] Matsuno submitted his resignation from the cabinet on December 14, 2023, along with several other LDP officials.[5]