NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Ozawa Ichiro

Ichiro Ozawa (小沢一郎 Ozawa Ichirō, born 1942) is a Japanese politician, formerly a leader of the Liberal Democratic Party and later of the New Frontier Party and the Liberal Party. He is now a vice-president of the Democratic Party of Japan. He is one of the most important figures in Japanese politics, involved in most of the key events of the past decade. 1942 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), also known as Jiyū Minshutō (自由民主党, more often abbreviated to Jimin-tō 自民党) is the largest Japanese political party as of 2004. ... The Shinshinto (新進党, New Frontier Party) was a former Japanese political party. ... The Liberal Party (in Japanese Jiyu-to) was a former Japanese and liberal party formed in 1998 by Ichiro Ozawa and Hirohisa Fujii. ... The Democratic Party of Japan (民主党, Minshutō) is a liberal party in Japan. ...

Contents

1 Early Career

2 Split from the LDP

3 The Anti-LDP Coalition

4 The Liberal Party

5 Controversy

6 Further Reading

Early Career

Born on 24 May 1942 in Mizusawa, Iwate Prefecture, he attended Keio University, majoring in Economics. He was first elected to the Diet of Japan in 1969, becoming a strong supporter of Kakuei Tanaka and his faction. In the 1980s he became well known along with Tsutomu Hata and Ryutaro Hashimoto as the next generation of Tanaka/Takeshita faction leaders. His rivalry with Hashimoto was particularly prominent, dubbed the Ichi-Ryu War by the press. 1942 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Mizusawa (水沢市; -shi) is a city located in Iwate, Japan. ... Iwate Prefecture (岩手県; Iwate-ken) is located in the Tohoku region on Honshu island, Japan. ... Keio University (慶應義塾大学 Keiō Gijuku Daigaku) is Japans oldest and one of its most prestigious institutions of higher education. ... The National Diet of Japan (国会; Kokkai) is Japans legislature. ... Tanaka shook hands with his similarly-embattled contemporary, U.S. President Richard Nixon, during a Washington visit in July of 1973. ... Tsutomu Hata (羽田孜 Hata Tsutomu, b. ... Ryūtarō Hashimoto (橋本龍太郎 Hashimoto Ryūtarō, Born July 29, 1937) is a Japanese politician and was the 82nd and 83rd Prime Minister of Japan from January 11, 1996 to July 30, 1998. ...

After long service on key parliamentary commitees, Ozawa's first ministerial appointment came in 1985, when he took on the Home Affairs portfolio under Yasuhiro Nakasone. Nakasone was impressed with his negotiation skills, particularly his ability to persuade opposition parties to pass difficult consumption tax legislation. These backroom skills led to Ozawa's election as LDP Secretary General in 1989. 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Yasuhiro Nakasone Yasuhiro Nakasone (中曽根康弘 Nakasone Yasuhiro, b. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Ozawa was a strong proponent of political reform, and he was frustrated by Japan's impotence in international affairs, represented particularly by the minor role Japan played in the Gulf War of 1990. See also: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Gulf War (disambiguation) C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Split from the LDP

Ozawa's skill in behind-the-scenes maneuvers led to a meteoric rise in power within the LDP, however they also turned many other factions against him. Senior leaders resented having to appeal to the much younger Ozawa for support (Kiichi Miyazawa, twenty years his senior, once addressed Ozawa as "Great Secretary General" in a leadership meeting). Ozawa's reputation for organisation was soon matched by his reputation as a young upstart. Kiichi Miyazawa (宮澤喜一 Miyazawa Kiichi) (born 1919) is a Japanese politician and was the 78th Prime Minister from November 5, 1991 to 1993. ...

With rival factions turning on him, he began to draw more support from close ally Tsutomu Hata and his followers. Hata and Ozawa had been the leading reformers in the Takeshita faction, and had attached themselves to powerful patriarch Shin Kanemaru. When Kanemaru was implicated in a corruption scandal in 1992, it provided a line of attack against Ozawa. In 1993, realizing that Kanemaru's impending trial would provide ample ammunition for his critics, Ozawa made an unexpected move. He and Hata formed the splinter Japan Renewal Party, seriously destabilising the LDP and eventually ending its 38 year dominance of Japanese politics. Tsutomu Hata (羽田孜 Hata Tsutomu, b. ... Kanemaru Shin (金丸信), September 17, 1914 - March 28, 1996, was a Japanese politician. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003) Events Media:January January 1 - Czechoslovakia divides. ...

The Anti-LDP Coalition

Ozawa was extremely successful in luring LDP members to the Renewal Party, causing the LDP to lose its majority in the Diet. In keeping with his previous LDP role, Ozawa became the behind-the-scenes powerbroker of the large coalition that took power in the wake of the LDP split. While he and Hata were the most experienced administrators, they decided to name Morihiro Hosokawa, leader of the tiny Japan New Party, as coalition leader. This was done both as a gesture of neutrality to the other coalition members, and as a means of keeping Hata in the wings as a future option if Hosokawa proved unsuccessful. Morihiro Hosokawa (細川護煕 Hosokawa Morihiro, b. ...

While Hosokawa served as Prime Minister, Ozawa was recognised as the major political force in the coalition. He capitalised on his reputation in 1993 by publishing a clear statement of his principles in the book Blueprint for a New Japan (日本改造計画 Nihon Kaizō Seikaku). The book called for political, legal and military reform to transform Japan into what Ozawa called a "normal nation". Strong ideological consistency was uncommon in Japanese politicians, and the book had considerable impact both at home and abroad.

Ozawa's insistence on a more assertive role for Japan in international affairs caused friction with members of the Japan Socialist Party in the coalition. Eventually, the Socialists left to form a coalition with the LDP, leaving Tsutomu Hata in charge of a minority government that fell in June 1994. Many, including Hata, blamed Ozawa for the loss. Ozawa himself began to move into the public eye, especially with the arrival of the New Frontier Party. The Japan Socialist Party (日本社会党) (in Japanese Nihon Shakai-to) was a former Japanese political party with a socialist, left-wing ideology, which functioned between 1945 and 1996. ... The Shinshinto (新進党, New Frontier Party) was a former Japanese political party. ...

Former Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu had founded the New Frontier Party in 1994. After joining the coalition, it became a catch-all party for the merger of several smaller parties. After a bitter leadership struggle in 1995 Ozawa took over the party , just as his old rival Ryutaro Hashimoto was assuming leadership of the LDP. Most commentators believed that a new Ichi-Ryu War would finally provide a genuinely competitive two-party system in Japanese politics. Unfortunately, the New Frontier Party was already beginning to unravel. Toshiki Kaifu (海部俊樹 Kaifu Toshiki; born January 2, 1931) is a Japanese politician who was the 76th and 77th Prime Minister of Japan from 1989 to 1991. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Liberal Party

Ozawa's autocratic leadership style had alienated many of his former allies. Even Tsutomu Hata, disillusioned after his leadership battle with Ozawa, seceded to form the Sun Party in 1996. By 1998 so many had abandoned Ozawa that he announced the dissolution of the New Frontier Party, taking his remaining followers to found the Liberal Party. 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The Liberal Party (in Japanese Jiyu-to) was a former Japanese and liberal party formed in 1998 by Ichiro Ozawa and Hirohisa Fujii. ...

The Liberal Party formed a coalition with the LDP, and Keizo Obuchi began negotiating a future remerger. The idea of Ozawa returning was met with mixed reaction in the LDP. The YKK partnership of Taku Yamasaki, Junichiro Koizumi and Koichi Kato were strongly opposed to Ozawa, along with anti-reformer Hiromu Nonaka. Powerful faction leader Shizuka Kamei supported Ozawa, chiefly due to similar views on military reform. Eventually, Ozawa's enemies were successful in blocking the merger. Shut out of the LDP, in 2003 Ozawa and his party joined with the Democratic Party of Japan, reuniting with his old ally Tsutomu Hata. Ozawa remains a member as of 2005. Keizo Obuchi (小渕恵三; Obuchi Keizō June 25, 1937–May 14, 2000) was a Japanese politician and the 84th Prime Minister of Japan from July 30, 1998 to April 5, 2000. ... YKK YKK Group The sworn friend relation to the politician of Japan by Taku Yamasaki, Junichiro Koizumi, and Koichi Kato. ... Taku Yamasaki (山崎拓,December 11, 1936 -) is a Japanese politician, a former member of the House of Representatives of Japan, and the Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture birth. ... Junichiro Koizumi Junichiro Koizumi (小泉純一郎 Koizumi Junichirō, born January 8, 1942) is a Japanese politician and the 87th, and current, Prime Minister of Japan. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January January 1 - Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ... The Democratic Party of Japan (民主党, Minshutō) is a liberal party in Japan. ...

Controversy

Due to his strong ideological stances, Ozawa has been the subject of much controversy. Critics accuse him of being an opportunist, and point to his repeated party movements. His defenders say that in the relatively ideology-free landscape of Japanese politics, it is his adherence to principle that forces him into conflict with others.

In 2004, Ozawa was affected by the Pension Scandal. While cleared of any legal wrongdoing, he stepped down from the DPJ leadership elections, in which he had been unopposed. This forced Katsuya Okada to assume leadership of the party. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Katsuya Okada (岡田克也, b. ...

Ozawa's frequent public statements regarding the normalisation of Japan's military and his statements on nuclear weapons have been criticised in the media, especially in China.

Early Career GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Split from the LDP

The Anti-LDP Coalition

The Liberal Party

Controversy

Further Reading

Early Career