Yoshiro Mori, former Prime Minister of Japan; member of the House of Representatives; Chairman of the Parliament’s Deputies Association for Friendship with Russia
Yoshiro Mori was born in Neagari, Ishikawa Prefecture, into the family of a local politician.
He studied at the Business Department of the prestigious Waseda University, a private school in Tokyo. After graduation, he worked as a reporter for the Sankei Shimbun newspaper.
Yoshiro Mori joined the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan in 1956. Early in his political career, together with the current Tokyo Governor Shintaro Isihara, he was a member of the LDP's Seirankai faction known for its nationalist, primarily anti-Chinese, slogans.
1969: elected to the House of Representatives of Japan's Parliament (currently serving his 13th term). Mr Mori chaired the chamber's finance and administration committees.
Headed the largest LDP faction. Three successive Prime Ministers of Japan were members of the faction - Yoshiro Mori himself, Junichiro Koizumi, and Shinzo Abe.
1993: secured the party's success in the election as the LDP's Secretary-General.
2000, elected LDP Chairman and appointed Prime Minister of Japan (served until April 2001)
Served as the Cabinet Deputy General Secretary; Education Minister; Construction Minister; International Trade and Industry Minister.
Mr Mori met with the President of the Russian Federation on several occasions: in April 2000, during a working visit to St Petersburg; in July 2000, during the G8 summit in Okinawa; in September 2000, in Tokyo during President Putin's official visit to Japan; and in March 2001, during a visit to Irkutsk.
He closely follows the Russian-Japanese relations and stresses the importance for Japan of full-scale, friendly relations with Russia, particularly in view of the significant role Moscow is now playing in world politics.
Since stepping down as Prime Minister, Mr Mori has met with Mr Putin on numerous occasions: in January 2002, during a visit to Moscow as a special representative of the Japanese Government; in June 2005 and December 2008, at the founding ceremonies of the Toyota car factory near St Petersburg; in November 2005, during Mr Putin's official visit to Japan; in March 2006, during a visit to Moscow to attend the Wise Men Council's meeting (he chaired the Council's Japanese section until its dissolution in March 2007).
In 2004, Mr Mori was awarded an Order of Friendship by the decree of the Russian President for a major contribution to the development of Russian-Japanese international cooperation.
Married, with a son and a daughter.
