Yōko Kamikawa

Yōko Kamikawa
上川 陽子
Minister of Justice
In office 3 August 2017 – 2 October 2018
Prime Minister	Shinzō Abe
Preceded by	Katsutoshi Kaneda
Succeeded by	Takashi Yamashita
In office 20 October 2014 – 7 October 2015
Prime Minister	Shinzō Abe
Preceded by	Midori Matsushima
Succeeded by	Mitsuhide Iwaki
Personal details
Born	(1953-03-01) 1 March 1953 Shizuoka, Japan
Political party	Liberal Democratic Party
Education	University of Tokyo (BA) Harvard University (MPA)

Yōko Kamikawa (上川 陽子, Kamikawa Yōko, 1 March 1953) is a former think-tank researcher and current Japanese politician, who served as Minister of State for Gender Equality and Social Affairs since August 2007 in Shinzō Abe's and Yasuo Fukuda's cabinets. Kamikawa was also elected as Minister of Justice in Prime Minister Abe's party. She is a member of the House of Representatives and the Liberal Democratic Party.

Born in the city of Shizuoka in Shizuoka Prefecture, she graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1977. In 1988 she also received a masters degree in public administration from John F. Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University. She was elected for the first time in June 2000.

During her time in office, Kamikawa ordered sixteen executions, the highest among justice ministers since 1993.

Scandals

Kamikawa was involved in a brief scandal in 2007. Her campaign was criticized for not reporting some campaign loans. This was dismissed shortly after as an act of oversight rather than intentional.

Declining Birth Rate Work

Kamikawa was placed in charge of the declining birth rate of Japan in 2007. She advocated for a more flexible lifestyle that allowed both a career and a family.

References

• "Minister of State for Regulatory Reform". Retrieved September 30, 2007.