Noboru Takeshita (26 February 1924 – 19 June 2000) was Prime Minister of Japan from 6 November 1987 to 3 June 1989, succeeding Yasuhiro Nakasone and preceding Sosuke Uno. He was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.
Biography[]
Noboru Takeshita was born in Kakeyama, Shimane Prefecture, Japan in 1924, and he attended Waseda University. He served as an Imperial Japanese Army instructor during World War II, and his wife committed suicide while he was away, leading to Takeshita becoming a very reserved figure. In 1951, he became a Shimane Prefecture assemblyman, and he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1958 as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan. He retained his own seat by bringing public works projects to Shimane, and he served as Chief Cabinet Secretary from 1971 to 1974, as Construction Minister in 1976, and Finance Minister from 1979 to 1980 and from 1982 to 1986. He soon became the leader of a powerful faction within the LDP, and he became President of the LDP in 1987, making him Prime Minister of Japan. He implemented Japan's first consumption tax, and he also liberalized the beef, citrus, and rice markets. He was forced to resign in 1989 due to a corruption scandal.