Seiichi Eto
Seiichi Eto (衛藤 晟一, Etō Seiichi; born 1 October 1947) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who served as a minister of state from 2019 to 2020. He served as a member of the House of Councillors since 2007, and previously served in the House of Representatives. He was a friend and adviser of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. BiographySeiichi Eto was born on 1 October 1947 in Ōita, the capital of Oita Prefecture. He studied economics as Oita University. As a student, he was involved in right-wing student activities in opposition to the left-wing Zengakuren, which dominated campuses at the time.[1] Eto graduated in 1970. Three years later he was elected to the Ōita City Council. He served for two terms until his election to the Ōita Prefectural Assembly in 1979. After an unsuccessful run in 1986, Eto was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1990, representing 1st Oita district.[1] In 1994, Eto supported the idea of offering the premiership to the Japan Socialist Party Chairman Tomiichi Murayama, to realise a coalition government between the LDP and the socialists. Murayama was Eto's rival in his constituency. The fact he supported it despite being personally disadvantaged by it contributed to the idea being accepted within the LDP, leading to the birth of the Murayama Cabinet.[2] Eto lost his seat in 2000, but was re-elected three years later. He lost his seat again in 2005, having been refused LDP endorsement due to voting against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's postal privatisation bill. After Koizumi was succeeded by Eto's friend Shinzo Abe, most of the postal rebels who had won reelection were readmited to the LDP. It was unclear what would happen to those of the rebels who had lost their seats, but Eto was chosen as a candidate in the proportional block for the 2007 House of Councillors election by the strong will of Prime Minister Abe. Tough the party faced a setback overall, Eto was reelected.[1][3] When Abe returned to the premiership in December 2012, Eto became a special adviser to the Prime Minister.[1] In September 2019, Eto entered the Fourth Abe Cabinet as a Minister of State with several portfolios: Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs, Consumer Affairs and Food Safety, measures against the declining birthrate and Ocean Policy. He left cabinet as Abe stepped down in September 2020. After leaving cabinet, Eto served in the LDP as chairman of a policy committee on the declining birthrate. He also chaired the party disciplinary committee. In July 2024, Eto expressed his intention to not run for reelection in the 2025 House of Councillors election. As a reason he noted that his son Hiroaki Etō had been selected as LDP candidate for Ōita 1st district in the House of Representatives and that it was likely to be criticised if father and son were both running for office.[4] In November 2024, Eto was appointed head of the LDP taskforce for the abduction issue.[5] Eto is affiliated to the right-wing organisation Nippon Kaigi and served as secretary general of the Nippon Kaigi Diet Members' Roundtable (日本会議国会議員懇談会).[6] References
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