Fukuda, Yasuo
Fukuda, Yasuo
(yäso͞o`ō fo͞oko͞o`dä), 1936–, Japanese politician. Son of ex-prime minister (1976–78) Takeo FukudaFukuda, Takeo,1905–95, Japanese politician, b. Gunma prefecture, prime minister of Japan (1976–78). Born into a wealthy farming family, he studied law at Tokyo Imperial Univ. (grad. 1929).
..... Click the link for more information. , he attended Waseda Univ. (grad. 1959) and worked for an oil company for 17 years. He acted as his father's secretary when the elder Fukuda was prime minister, but did not seek political office until 1990 when he ran for parliament and won a seat in the lower house. A widely respected moderate, he became deputy director of the ruling Liberal Democratic partyLiberal Democratic party
(LDP), Japanese political party. It began as the conservative Liberal party, which, under Shigeru Yoshida, became the dominant political force in Japan following World War II. In 1955 the Liberals merged with the newly created Democratic party.
..... Click the link for more information. (LDP) in 1997 and served (2000–2004) two prime ministers as chief cabinet secretary. After the resignation (2007) of Prime Minister Shinzo AbeAbe, Shinzo
, 1954–, Japanese politician. The son and grandson of politicians (his grandfather was Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi), he served as secretary to his father and succeeded to his father's seat in the Diet in 1993.
..... Click the link for more information. , Fukuda was elected head of the LDP and became prime minister, but he resigned a year later because his government was hampered by unpopularity and opposition control of the upper house of parliament. Taro AsoAso, Taro
, 1940–, Japanese politician, prime minister of Japan (2008–9). Grandson of Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida and son of a successful industrialist, he attended Gakushuin Univ. (grad. 1963), Stanford, and the Univ. of London.
..... Click the link for more information. succeeded him.