Genjirō Kaneko Explained

Genjirō Kaneko
Native Name:金子 原二郎
Office:Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Primeminister:Fumio Kishida
Term Start:4 October 2021
Term End:10 August 2022
Predecessor:Kōtarō Nogami
Successor:Tetsuro Nomura
Office2:Member of the House of Councillors
Constituency2:Nagasaki at-large district
Term Start2:26 July 2010
Predecessor2:Tadashi Inuzuka
Office3:Governor of Nagasaki Prefecture
Term Start3:2 March 1998
Term End3:1 March 2010
Successor3:Hōdō Nakamura
Office4:Member of the House of Representatives
Term Start4:18 December 1983
Term End4:23 January 1998
Constituency4:Former Nagasaki 2nd district
(1983-1996)
Nagasaki 4th district
(1996-1998)
Office5:Member of the Nagasaki Prefectural Assembly
Term Start5:1975
Term End5:1983
Birth Date:8 May 1944
Birth Place:Ikitsuki, Nagasaki, Empire of Japan
Alma Mater:Keio University
Party:LDP
Term End2:3 August 2022

is a Japanese politician and member of the Liberal Democratic Party. Kaneko served as Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from October 2021 to August 2022. He has also represented the Nagasaki At-large district in the House of Councillors since his election in the July 2010 Councillors election. Kaneko is a native of Ikitsuki, Nagasaki and graduate of Keio University.

Political career

Kaneko first entered public office as a member of the Nagasaki Prefectural Assembly in 1975. He resigned during his third term in the assembly in 1983 to contest the national House of Representatives seat that was held at that time by his father Iwazō Kaneko. Genjiro came second in the Nagasaki No.2 district at the December 1983 general election, claiming one of the four seats represented by the district. Iwazō died at the age of 79 on 27 December 1983, 9 days after his son's election victory.

Kaneko retained his seat in the No.2 district at subsequent elections in 1986, 1990 and 1993. Following the electoral reforms of 1994, he became the member for the single-seat Nagasaki No.4 district at the 1996 general election. In 1998, during his 5th term in the House of Representatives, Kaneko resigned from the house to contest the Nagasaki gubernatorial election.

Kaneko served as the governor of Nagasaki Prefecture for three terms from 1998 until 2010. He chose not to seek a fourth term and publicly endorsed his deputy Hōdō Nakamura at the February 2010 gubernatorial election . Nakamura defeated Tsuyoshi Hashimoto, who had the endorsement of the Democratic, Social Democratic and People's New parties.

In October 2021, he became Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries during the Kishida Cabinet.

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