Takeo Fukuda
| Takeo Fukuda | |
|---|---|
| 福田 赳夫 | |
Fukuda in March 1977
|
|
| Prime Minister of Japan | |
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In office 24 December 1976 – 7 December 1978 |
|
| Monarch | Shōwa |
| Preceded by | Takeo Miki |
| Succeeded by | Masayoshi Ōhira |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
14 January 1905 Takasaki, Japan |
| Died | 5 July 1995 (aged 90) Tokyo, Japan |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Mie Fukuda |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | Tokyo Imperial University |
| Signature |  |
Takeo Fukuda (福田 赳夫 Fukuda Takeo?, 14 January 1905 – 5 July 1995) was a Japanese politician and the 67th Prime Minister of Japan (67th administration) from 24 December 1976 to 7 December 1978.
Fukuda was born in Gunma, capital of the Gunma Prefecture on 14 January 1905. He hailed from a former Samurai family and his father was mayor of Gunma. He held a law degree from University of Tokyo.
Before and during World War II, Fukuda served as a bureaucrat in the Finance Ministry and as Chief Cabinet Secretary. After the war, he became director of Japan's banking bureau from 1946 to 1947 and of budget bureau from 1947 to 1950.
In 1952, Fukuda was elected to the House of Representatives representing the third district of Gunma. Fukuda's political mentor was Nobusuke Kishi, who was detained as a Class A war criminal after World War II and later became prime minister.
Fukuda was elected party secretary in 1957 and served as Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (1959–69), Minister of Finance (1969–71), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1971–73), and Director of the Economic Planning Agency (1974–76). He was a candidate for prime minister in 1972 but lost to Kakuei Tanaka.
He took over the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from Takeo Miki after the party's poor showing in the 1976 election. It remained in office until 1978, but relied on the support of minor parties to maintain a parliamentary majority. Although he was regarded as a conservative and a hawk on foreign policies, Fukuda drew international criticism when he caved in to the demands of a group of terrorists who hijacked Japan Airlines Flight 472, saying "Jinmei wa chikyū yori omoi (The value of a human life outweighs the Earth)."
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