Hiroshige Sekō | |
Office: | Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry |
Primeminister: | Shinzō Abe |
Term Start: | 3 August 2016 |
Term End: | 11 September 2019 |
Predecessor: | Motoo Hayashi |
Successor: | Isshu Sugawara |
Office1: | Member of the House of Councillors |
Term Start1: | 1998 |
Constituency1: | Wakayama Prefecture |
Birth Date: | 9 November 1962 |
Birth Place: | Osaka, Japan |
Party: | Liberal Democratic Party of Japan |
Spouse: | Kumiko Hayashi |
Alma Mater: | Waseda University |
Occupation: | Politician |
is a Japanese politician serving as a Member of the House of Councillors since 1998. He previously served as Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party in the House of Councillors, and was the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry from August 2016 to September 2019 under Shinzo Abe. As Minister, he played a crucial role for announcing the export restrictions against South Korea in 2019. A native of Wakayama Prefecture, he graduated from Waseda University and received a master's degree in corporate communications from Boston University.
On 4 April 2024, Seko resigned from the LDP after he was reprimanded along with 38 other party members for their involvement in the 2023–2024 Japanese slush fund scandal.[1]