Akiko Santō

Japanese politician (born 1942)

山東昭子

Santō in 2020

President of the House of CouncillorsIn office
1 August 2019 – 3 August 2022Preceded byChūichi DateSucceeded byHidehisa OtsujiVice President of the House of CouncillorsIn office
7 August 2007 – 30 July 2010Preceded byAkira ImaizumiSucceeded byHidehisa OtsujiDirector General of Science and Technology AgencyIn office
29 December 1990 – 5 November 1991Prime MinisterToshiki KaifuPreceded byTomoji ŌshimaSucceeded byKanzō TanigawaMember of House of Councillors

Incumbent

Assumed office
29 July 2001ConstituencyNational PRIn office
25 August 1995 – 2 October 1996ConstituencyNational PRIn office
7 July 1974 – 7 July 1992ConstituencyNational district (1974–1986)
National PR (1986–1992) Personal detailsBorn (1942-05-11) 11 May 1942 (age 81)
Setagaya, Tokyo, JapanPolitical partyLiberal DemocraticAlma materBunka Gakuin

Akiko Santō (山東昭子, Santō Akiko, born 11 May 1942) is a Japanese politician who was the president of the House of Councillors of Japan from 2019 to 2022. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, she was previously the vice president of the House of Councillors from 2007 to 2010.

Background and career

A native of Tokyo and graduate of Bunka Gakuin, Santo is the grandniece of Kodama Ryōtarō (September 1872 – October 25, 1921), a member of the House of Representatives.^[1]

Santo was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1974 after working as an actress and reporter. She was parliamentary vice-minister of environment (Ohira cabinet), and minister of state and director general of the Science and Technology Agency (Kaifu cabinet, 1990–91). She became vice president of the House of Councillors in 2007, and chaired the joint plenary meeting of party members of both houses of the Diet.^[2]

The Senkaku episode

Santo played a role in the sale of three of the Senkaku Islands. She had known the landowner (Kurihara family) for 30 years, and in 2011 he told her that he wanted to sell to the governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara (whose nationalistic book he liked), instead of to the government and the prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda. The latter proposed a land swap, the former cash, and eventually the state bought the land for $25.5 million in 2012.^[3]

References

^ Official Gazette No. 2773, 28 October 1921
^ Profile on the LDP website
^ "Main battle over Senkaku isles waged between Ishihara, Noda". The Asahi Shimbun. 3 September 2012. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014.
- Antoni Slodkowski (11 November 2012). "How debts and double-dealing sparked Japan-China islets row". Reuters.

"参議院議員: 山東昭子" [Member of the House of Councillors: Akiko Santo]. JANJAN (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 8 December 2007. Retrieved 12 November 2007.