[Japanese Side] Nishimura Keisansho in Charge of Persuading Fukushima Fishermen

Not Born with a Political Silver Spoon but Continues to Hold Key Positions
Figures from Abe Administration in Charge of Economic and Energy Policies

"Nishimura Yasutoshi, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, is scheduled to move to Fukushima Prefecture later to explain this to the fishermen."

While writing articles about the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant throughout this week, the person I actually quoted more than Prime Minister Kishida Fumio was Minister Nishimura. After writing discharge articles all week, I realized that Minister Nishimura appeared more frequently in the Japanese media than Prime Minister Kishida.

As such, Minister Nishimura is a very important figure to follow current Japanese issues. Today, I will share a story about Nishimura Yasutoshi, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

First, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plays a role similar to that of South Korea's Ministry of Strategy and Finance. The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry is the head of this ministry, equivalent to the Minister of Strategy and Finance in our country. Minister Nishimura took office in August last year and continues his term.

Let's also look at the trajectory of his life to see how he reached the ministerial position. According to Minister Nishimura's official website, his date of birth is October 15, 1962.

Like Prime Minister Kishida, many in Japanese politics come from families with a long history in politics, often referred to as "gold spoons." However, Minister Nishimura did not follow that path. He is from Hyogo Prefecture; his grandfather ran a watch shop in the region for a long time, and his father was an ordinary company employee. In fact, his profile strongly emphasizes that he "grew up as the grandson of a watch shop owner and the eldest son of a salaryman."

However, his father-in-law is a political heavyweight. Minister Nishimura's father-in-law is Fukida Akira, a former member of the House of Representatives. He was influential enough that former Prime Minister Kishi Nobusuke served as the godfather to his daughter. Minister Nishimura's spouse's name, "Nobuko," was given by former Prime Minister Kishi, who was the godfather, using one character from "Nobusuke."

Returning to his childhood, he enjoyed athletics, baseball, and boxing club activities during his school days. Later, he passed the entrance exam for the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Law and began his bureaucratic career at the former Ministry of International Trade and Industry, now the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

He focused on energy and environmental issues, such as promoting the introduction of wind power generation and establishing a recycling system for aluminum cans.

However, after serving as an investigator at the Environmental Location Bureau of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, he felt the limitations of being a bureaucrat and resigned. He then decided to become a politician, saying, "No matter how hard bureaucrats work, Japan will not change unless politics changes."

Of course, since he did not come from a typical political family, entering politics was not easy. At age 37 in 2000, he first ran for the House of Representatives but lost by a margin of 5,400 votes. He had to rebuild his political base for four years.

He succeeded in his first election in 2003. Afterward, he was elected three times and even ran for the presidency of the Liberal Democratic Party. During his three terms, he utilized his specialty in environmental legislation to enact laws such as the Basic Ocean Law and the Safe Waters Law.

After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, he worked on the Reconstruction Agency and became known as a leader in bipartisan discussions on nuclear power and energy policy.

Thanks to this experience, he was appointed Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization in September 2019 and also took charge of economic and fiscal policy in the Cabinet Office.

When Japan entered a state of emergency due to COVID-19, he was appointed Minister in charge of COVID-19. He is essentially an "Abe person," having held key positions during the Abe administration.

Because his career is somewhat related to the Fukushima nuclear power plant issue, after becoming Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, he has continued to focus on persuading local fishermen. Around the time when the Japanese government was deciding on the timing of the discharge, he visited Fukushima every weekend to meet with representatives of fishermen and persuade them. During this period, he appeared in the news more often than Prime Minister Kishida.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, as a figure favored during the Abe administration, he has a strong right-wing political stance. On the 21st, he visited Yasukuni Shrine, where Class-A war criminals are enshrined, and offered a ritual offering. He also visited Yasukuni Shrine shortly after taking office as Minister last August, which caused controversy in our country as the first Yasukuni visit by the Kishida Cabinet.

For now, he is tasked with persuading local public opinion regarding the Fukushima contaminated water discharge issue, and it seems he will continue to hold key positions in the Kishida administration.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.