was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1989 to 1991.

Born in Nagoya, Kaifu graduated from Waseda University and was first elected to the Diet in 1960 as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He served as education minister from 1976 to 1977 under Takeo Fukuda, and from 1985 to 1986 under Yasuhiro Nakasone. In 1989, Kaifu became prime minister after the resignations of the last two premiers, Noboru Takeshita and Sosuke Uno, amid various scandals; he was chosen in part because of his clean image. During his tenure, Kaifu worked to improve relations with China and made large financial contributions to the coalition in the Persian Gulf War. After his attempts at political reform were unsuccessful, Kaifu resigned as prime minister in 1991 and was replaced by Kiichi Miyazawa.

Early life and education Kaifu was born on 2 January 1931, in Nagoya City, the eldest of six brothers. His family's business Nakamura Photo Studio was established by his grandfather in the Meiji era, and was situated next to the Matsuzakaya flagship department store.

Kaifu took the exam to the Aichi Prefectural Asahigaoka Senior High School, and while of the eleven students who took the test from the same school, nine were accepted and two, including Kaifu, were not. As part of the student labor mobilization during the war, he was placed in a Mitsui Heavy Industry factory where he assembled airplane engine parts day and night. In 1945, he was accepted in the Youth Airman Academy of the Imperial Japanese Army, but the war ended before his planned enrollment in October. He was then educated at Chuo University and Waseda University.

Political career A member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Kaifu ran successfully for the 1960 Japanese general election and took office as the youngest member of the National Diet. He served for sixteen terms, totaling 48 years.

Kaifu served as education minister before rising to lead the party after the resignations of Noboru Takeshita and Sōsuke Uno. Facing Yoshiro Hayashi and Shintaro Ishihara, Kaifu was elected on the platform of clean leadership. He became the 76th Prime Minister of Japan in August 1989.

Premiership (1989–1991)

On 10 August 1991, Kaifu became the first leader of a major country to make an official visit to China and break China's diplomatic isolation after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. Kaifu ended Japan's participation in economic sanctions against China and offered $949.9 million in loans and an additional $1.5 million in emergency aid following flood damage in southern China in June and July. In 1991 he sent the Maritime Self-Defense Force to the Persian Gulf in the wake of the Gulf War.

Throughout his two Cabinets, Kaifu's faction was too small to push through the reforms he sought, and the continuing repercussions of the Sagawa Express scandal caused problems. He resigned in November 1991 and was replaced by Kiichi Miyazawa.

In 1994, he left the LDP to become head of the newly-founded New Frontier Party. He was then nominated by Ichirō Ozawa and Tsutomu Hata as prime minister in June 1994 against the LDP-Socialist coalition candidate Tomiichi Murayama but lost in the Diet vote. He supported Ozawa's party until he returned to LDP in 2003. He was defeated in the election of 2009 by DPJ candidate Mitsunori Okamoto, which witnessed the end of almost uninterrupted LDP dominance since 1955. At the time of his defeat, he was the longest-serving member of the lower house of the Diet, and he was also the first former prime minister to be defeated at a re-election since 1963.

Economics The economic policies of him and his predecessor are seen as part of the neoliberal cycle by Post keynesians.

Later life In June 1994, when the Liberal Democratic Party supported Socialist Party Chairman Tomiichi Murayama for Prime Minister to realise a coalition, Kaifu defected and became the joint candidate for the coalition who had supported the Hata Cabinet. He lost to Murayama in the nomination for prime minister. In December, the parties that had supported him merged into the New Frontier Party with Kaifu as president. He held the position for one year.

Kaifu died of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital on 9 January 2022, at the age of 91. The announcement of his death to the media was delayed until 14 January.

Personal life On 17 November 1957, Kaifu married Sachiyo Yanagihara (born 30 April 1933), a female assistant to a Member of the House of Representatives. The couple had a son, , and a daughter, Mutsumi.

Honours Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru (1989)

Election history Election Age District Political party Number of votes election results1960 Japanese general election29Aichi 3rd districtLDP49,767winning1963 Japanese general election32Aichi 3rd districtLDP57,586winning1967 Japanese general election36Aichi 3rd districtLDP80,874winning1969 Japanese general election38Aichi 3rd districtLDP82,695winning1972 Japanese general election41Aichi 3rd districtLDP87,733winning1976 Japanese general election45Aichi 3rd districtLDP151,151winning1979 Japanese general election48Aichi 3rd districtLDP119,049winning1980 Japanese general election49Aichi 3rd districtLDP145,322winning1983 Japanese general election52Aichi 3rd districtLDP123,415winning1986 Japanese general election55Aichi 3rd districtLDP133,829winning1990 Japanese general election59Aichi 3rd districtLDP195,713winning1993 Japanese general election62Aichi 3rd districtLDP194,863winning1996 Japanese general election65Aichi 9th districtNFP111,578winning2000 Japanese general election69Aichi 9th districtNCP122,175winning2003 Japanese general election72Aichi 9th districtNCP104,075winning2005 Japanese general election74Aichi 9th districtLDP130,771winning2009 Japanese general election78Aichi 9th districtLDP100,549lost

References

External links KAIFU, Toshiki International Who's Who. Retrieved 3 September 2006.