Yoshimasa Hayashi

Yoshimasa Hayashi
林 芳正
Yoshimasa Hayashi at the St. Gallen Symposium in May 2011
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
In office 23 February 2015 – 7 October 2015
Prime Minister	Shinzō Abe
Preceded by	Koya Nishikawa
Succeeded by	Hiroshi Moriyama
In office 26 December 2012 – 3 September 2014
Prime Minister	Shinzō Abe
Preceded by	Akira Gunji
Succeeded by	Koya Nishikawa
Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy
In office 2 July 2009 – 16 September 2009
Prime Minister	Taro Aso
Preceded by	Kaoru Yosano
Succeeded by	Naoto Kan
Minister of Defense
In office 2 August 2008 – 24 September 2008
Prime Minister	Yasuo Fukuda
Preceded by	Shigeru Ishiba
Succeeded by	Yasukazu Hamada
Personal details
Born	(1961-01-19) 19 January 1961 Shimonoseki, Japan
Political party	Liberal Democratic Party
Alma mater	University of Tokyo John F. Kennedy School of Government

Yoshimasa Hayashi (林 芳正, Hayashi Yoshimasa, born 19 January 1961) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, Koga Faction. He is a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature), currently serving his third term in the Upper House representing Yamaguchi Prefecture.

A native of Shimonoseki, Hayashi graduated from the University of Tokyo and studied at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In the United States, he was a staffer for U.S. Representative Stephen L. Neal and U.S. Senator William V. Roth, Jr.. He began his career with Mitsui & Co.. Hayashi entered politics as a secretary to his father, Finance Minister Yoshiro Hayashi in 1992. Around the same time he was also the member of the policy staff for a US senator. Hayashi was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1995. He represents the fourth generation of politicians in his family and has concentrated on administrative and tax reform since taking office.^[1]

Hayashi was appointed to the Cabinet for the first time as Minister of Defense on 1 August 2008.^[2] He held this post for less than two months, however; in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Taro Aso, appointed on 24 September 2008, Hayashi was replaced by Yasukazu Hamada.^[3]

After the LDP returned to power in the December 2012 general election Hayashi was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.^[4][5]

He likes karaoke and golf. He plays the guitar and keyboard with LDP colleagues in a band called Gi!nz.^[1]

References

External links

• Official website in Japanese.