Kōji Omi

Koji Omi
Official portrait, 1997
Minister of Finance
In office
26 September 2006 – 27 August 2007
Prime MinisterShinzō Abe
Preceded bySadakazu Tanigaki
Succeeded byFukushiro Nukaga
Head of the Economic Planning Agency
In office
1997–1998
Prime MinisterRyutaro Hashimoto
Preceded byTaro Aso
Succeeded byTaichi Sakaiya
Personal details
Born(1932-12-14)14 December 1932
Numata, Gunma, Japan
Died14 April 2022(2022-04-14) (aged 89)
Political partyLiberal Democratic Party
Alma materHitotsubashi University
Omi with Martín Varsavsky at STS in Kyoto

Kōji Omi (尾身 幸次, Omi Kōji, 14 December 1932 – 14 April 2022) was a Japanese politician most notable for serving as Minister of Finance in the first Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzō Abe.

Personal life

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Kōji Omi was born in Numata, Gunma Prefecture on 14 December 1932. He attended Hitotsubashi University, where he graduated with a degree in Commerce.[citation needed]

He died on 14 April 2022, at the age of 89.[1]

Political career

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Omi started his career in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry where he later served as consul general of Japan in New York City and as the Director of the Small Business Administration. He was elected to the House of Representatives of the National Diet in 1983.

In 1997, Omi was appointed as the Director of the Economic Planning Agency. He briefly acted as a Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy and Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi between 2001 and 2002.[2][1] He was on a diplomatic mission to the United States during the 11 September 2001 attacks.[citation needed] Between 2006 and 2007, he served as the Minister of Finance under Shinzō Abe. Omi supported increases in the national consumption tax, although Abe distanced himself from this policy and sought to achieve much of his budget balancing through spending cuts.[3]

He was conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Public Service by the University of Cambodia in 2007[4] and was awarded the first honorary doctorate by the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in 2018.[5]

Other work

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Remembering a Visionary: Koji Omi Connected Okinawa with Science and Technology". oist.jp. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Founding Chairman Koji Omi". STSforum. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  3. ^ Japan's Abe Unexpectedly Names Omi Finance Minister, Bloomberg.com, 26 September 2006.
  4. ^ "Welcome to The University of Cambodia (UC)". uc.edu.kh. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  5. ^ "In honor of his efforts and achievements, OIST awarded Mr. Koji Omi its first honorary doctorate degree at the first graduation ceremony in 2018". Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  6. ^ Omi, Koji (22 December 2014). "Constructing a Global Science Forum". Science & Diplomacy. 3 (4). Retrieved 18 June 2015.
Political offices
Preceded by Head of the Economic Planning Agency
1997–1998
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy
2001–2002
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs
2001–2002
Preceded by Minister of Finance
2006–2007
Succeeded by
House of Representatives (Japan)
Preceded by
Shosuke Miyachi
Chair, Financial Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives of Japan
1995
Succeeded by