Katsunobu Katō

Japanese politician
加藤 勝信
Official portrait, 2020
Minister of Health, Labour and WelfareIn office
10 August 2022 – 13 September 2023Prime MinisterFumio KishidaPreceded byShigeyuki GotoSucceeded byKeizō TakemiIn office
11 September 2019 – 16 September 2020Prime MinisterShinzō AbePreceded byTakumi NemotoSucceeded byNorihisa TamuraIn office
3 August 2017 – 2 October 2018Prime MinisterShinzō AbePreceded byYasuhisa ShiozakiSucceeded byTakumi NemotoChief Cabinet SecretaryIn office
16 September 2020 – 4 October 2021Prime MinisterYoshihide SugaPreceded byYoshihide SugaSucceeded byHirokazu MatsunoMinister of State for Measures for Declining BirthrateIn office
7 October 2015 – 3 August 2017Prime MinisterShinzō AbePreceded byHaruko ArimuraSucceeded byMasaji MatsuyamaMember of the House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office
10 November 2003ConstituencyChūgoku block (2003–2009)
Okayama's 5th district (2009–present) Personal detailsBorn
Katsunobu Murosaki

(1955-11-22) 22 November 1955 (age 68)
Tokyo, JapanPolitical partyLiberal Democratic PartySpouseShuko KatoChildren4RelativesMutsuki Kato (father-in-law)
Takenori Kato (uncle-in-law)
Koko Kato (sister-in-law)Alma materUniversity of Tokyo (BEc)OccupationEconomist • Politician

Katsunobu Katō (加藤 勝信, Katō Katsunobu; born 22 November 1955) is a Japanese politician, who previously served as the Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare at three times from 2017 to 2018 and from 2019 to 2020 and again from 2022 to 2023. He also served as the Chief Cabinet Secretary from 2020 to 2021. Belonging to the Liberal Democratic Party, he has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2003.

Born and raised in Tokyo and a graduate of the University of Tokyo, Kato had a bureaucratic career in the Ministry of Finance before going into politics.

Early life, family, and career

Kato was born as Katsunobu Murosaki (室崎勝信) on 22 November 1955 in Tokyo, Japan. His father, Katsutoshi Murosaki, was an executive at Hino Motors. The family came from Shimane Prefecture, where his grandfather, Katsuzo Murosaki was a businessman and prefectural assemblyman. Kato studied economics at the University of Tokyo and joined the Ministry of Finance upon graduating in 1979. He held several positions, such as chief of the Kurayoshi Tax Office, secretary to Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hideo Watanabe and chief inspector for the labour and defense budgets.[1][2]

In April 1994, Kato was assigned as secretary to the Minister of Agriculture Mutsuki Kato. Kato married Shuko Kato, the daughter of Mutsuki Kato. As his family had only daughters, Kato was adopted by his father-in-law to carry on his family name. He retired from the Ministry of Finance in 1995 and became his father-in-law's personal secretary.[1][2][3][4]

Political career

Then-Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida (left), Katsunobu Kato (center), and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Sekō (right) at Japanese Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo (15 April 2013).
Third Abe Cabinet, First Reshuffle (7 October 2015).

Kato would pursue his political career in Okayama Prefecture, where his adoptive family was based. After unsuccessful runs in 1998 and 2000, Kato was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in the 2003 general election. He had initially run as an independent as his father-in-law had left the LDP, however fellow Okayama politician and former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto recruited him for the party and when elected, Kato joined the Heisei Kenkyukai led by Hashimoto. This was significant as Hashimoto and Mutsuki Kato had long been rivals in the political world of Okayama.[5]

Kato became a confidant of Shinzo Abe. This was partially due to a family relationship, as Mutsuki Kato had been a close ally of Abe's father Shintaro Abe and his wife had remained a close friend of Abe's mother, Yoko.[1][3][4] In August 2007, Kato became parliamentary vice minister to the Cabinet Office in the Abe Cabinet. He was retained until the end of the Yasuo Fukuda Cabinet.[2]

When Abe was re-elected as president of the LDP in September 2012, he appointed Kato as his special assistant. In December of the same year, the LDP returned to government and Kato was appointed Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary. In October 2015, Kato joined the cabinet for the first time as minister of state with a portfolio including countermeasures against the declining birthrate and women's empowerment.[6][7]

When Shinzo Abe reshuffled his cabinet in August 2017 , Kato became as the Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare, but he left cabinet in October 2018when he was appointed Chairman of the General Council, one of four key posts in the LDP. Kato was reappointed as Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare in September 2019.[2][3] As such, Kato helped shape the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After Abe resigned as Prime Minister on 16 September 2020 due to health reasons, Kato was appointed Chief Cabinet Secretary under his successor Yoshihide Suga.[8] After the end of the Suga Cabinet after one year, Kato became chairman of the Social Security Research Commission and subcommittee chairman of the Tax Research Commission within the LDP.[9]

In August 2022 when Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reshuffled his cabinet following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe one month previous, Kato was appointed Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare for the third time.[2] In April 2023, Kato announced that the government would downgrade the classification of COVID-19 to be on par with "seasonal flu" by midnight 8 May after the three days delayed during the 8-day holiday period of Golden Week Festival[10][11][12][13][14]

Kato left cabinet due to the reshuffle in September 2023, after which he once again became chairman of the Social Security Research Commission, and as well as Secretary-General of the LDP Headquarters for Realizing Constitutional Revision.[15]

Katō is affiliated with the conservative organization Nippon Kaigi.[16]

Honours

References

  1. ^ a b c Nakajima, Takeshi (3 February 2019). "中島岳志の「自民党を読む」（６）加藤勝信". Ronza. The Asahi Shimbun Company. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "加藤 勝信". kantei.go.jp. Cabinet Public Affairs Office, Cabinet Secretariat. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Tanaka, Hiroyuki; Matsukura, Yusuke (October 6, 2018). "PM Abe picks close aides for senior LDP positions to increase his involvement". Mainichi Daily News. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Tosaka, Hiroki (January 25, 2022). "永田町激震…！「影の女傑」加藤勝信前官房長官の義母が急逝していた". Gendai Media (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  5. ^ "「六龍戦争」雪解け 橋本氏、事務所を提供". Asahi News (in Japanese). July 9, 2004. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  6. ^ "自民党、安倍執行部が発足　政調会長に甘利氏". The Nikkei (in Japanese). 2012-09-29. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  7. ^ "官房副長官に加藤氏　参院から世耕氏を起用". The Nikkei (in Japanese). 2012-12-19. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  8. ^ "Suga taps Kato as chief Cabinet Secretary, to retain key ministers". Kyodo News. September 15, 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  9. ^ "自民税調、小委員長に加藤勝信氏、会長は宮沢氏". The Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). 2021-11-16. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  10. ^ "Japan to Lower COVID-19 Classification as Planned May 8". The Japan News. April 27, 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  11. ^ "It's official: COVID-19 will be downgraded in Japan by May 8 during the Golden Week Festival". Asahi Shimbun. April 27, 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  12. ^ "Japan to officially downgrade COVID-19 in May". NHK World News. April 27, 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  13. ^ "Japan formally decides to downgrade COVID-19 to flu level on May 8". Kyodo News. April 27, 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  14. ^ "Japan to downgrade COVID-19 to flu level on May 8". Nikkei Asia. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  15. ^ "＜独自＞自民憲法改正実現本部　事務総長に加藤勝信・前厚労相の起用検討". The Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). 2023-10-03. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  16. ^ Nippon Kaigi website
  17. ^ Decoraties Staatsbezoeken Japan en Republiek Korea Archived 2014-11-04 at the Wayback Machine - website of the Dutch Royal House
  • 政治家情報 〜加藤 勝信〜. JANJAN (in Japanese). Retrieved 2007-10-20.
  • Official website (in Japanese)
Political offices
Preceded by
Tsuyoshi Saitō
 Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
(Political affairs, House of Representatives)
2012–2015 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of State for Measures for Declining Birthrate
2015–2017 		Succeeded by
Minister of State for Gender Equality
2015–2017
Preceded by Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare
2017–2018 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare
2019–2020 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief Cabinet Secretary
2020–2021 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare
2022–2023 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Chairman of the General Council,
Liberal Democratic Party
2018–2019 		Succeeded by
Shun'ichi Suzuki
Preceded by Subcommittee Chairman of the Tax Research Commission,
Liberal Democratic Party
2021–2022 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairman of the Social Security Research Commission,
Liberal Democratic Party
2021–2022 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairman of the Social Security Research Commission,
Liberal Democratic Party
2023-present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Subcommittee Chairman of the Tax Research Commission,
Liberal Democratic Party
2023–present