Shinsuke Suematsu

Shinsuke Suematsu (末松 信介, Suematsu Shinsuke, born December 17, 1955) is a Japanese politician who serves as a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. He has represented the Hyogo at-large district as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party since 2004. He served as Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology from 2021 to 2022.

Shinsuke Suematsu
Official portrait, 2021
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
In office
4 October 2021 – 10 August 2022
Prime MinisterFumio Kishida
Preceded byKōichi Hagiuda
Succeeded byKeiko Nagaoka
Senior Vice Minister of Finance
In office
2 August 2008 – 16 September 2009
Serving with Norio Mitsuya
Prime MinisterYasuo Fukuda
Taro Aso
Preceded byIchiro Miyashita
Akio Koizumi
Succeeded byHiroshi Ogushi
Shinichiro Furumoto
Member of the House of Councillors for the Hyogo at-large district
Assumed office
July 2004
Serving with Shunichi Mizuoka, Yoshitada Konoike, Yasuhiro Tsuji (until 28 July 2013), Takayuki Shimizu (from 29 July 2013)
Preceded byTatsumi Osawa
Shōji Motooka
Member of the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly for the Tarumi district
In office
1983 – 24 June 2004
Succeeded byYuichiro Wada
Personal details
Born (1955-12-17) December 17, 1955
Kobe, Hyogo
Political partyLiberal Democratic
SpouseYumi Suematsu

Early life

Suematsu was born on December 17, 1955, in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. He graduated from the School of Law and Politics, Kwansei Gakuin University in 1979 and worked for All Nippon Airways.

Political career

Suematsu entered politics in 1983, successfully contesting the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly election as a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate. He served six consecutive terms in the assembly, and was elected deputy speaker of the assembly in 1996. In April 2003 Suematsu was elected to his sixth term, winning the highest number of votes in the three-member Tarumi district with 39.4%.[1] On 24 June 2004 he resigned from the assembly to contest the House of Councillors election scheduled for the following month.[2]

In the election for two Councillors in the Hyogo at-large district, Suematsu finished second behind Shunichi Mizuoka of the Democratic Party of Japan with 33.5% of the vote.[3] During his first term as a Councillor, Suematsu was appointed as a vice minister for finance in a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. Suematsu retained the position when Fukuda was replaced by Taro Aso in September 2008 and remained in the position until the LDP lost power at the September 2009 general election.

Suematsu was elected to a second term at the July 2010 House of Councillors election. On this occasion he received the highest vote with 29.4%. Mizuoka retained his seat in the House, finishing second in a field of seven candidates with 21.8%.[4]

On 10 August 2022, Suematsu was dismissed from the Second Kishida Cabinet because of ties to the Unification Church. His dismissal was part of a wider purge by the Kishida administration following the assassination of Shinzo Abe and increasing media scrutiny of LDP officials' close ties with the church. [5][6]

References
  1. 6 開票 [6: Results] (PDF) (in Japanese). p. 3. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  2. 平成17 年７ 月３ 日執行 神戸市垂水区選挙区補欠選挙 [Tarumi district by-election held 3 July 2005] (PDF) (in Japanese). p. 1. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  3. 7 開票 [7: Results] (PDF) (in Japanese). p. 2. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  4. "選挙区 兵庫県 開票結果 参院選2010 参院選 選挙" [Hyogo at-large district election results, 2010 House of Councillors election]. Yomiuri Shimbun. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  5. "Japan's leader names new Cabinet to distance his administration from Unification Church". Los Angeles Times. 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  6. "旧統一教会名称変更「指示とかない」　末松文科相が下村氏の関与否定". Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
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