Profile of Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko KOUMURA

Liberal Democratic Party
Member of the House of Representatives, Yamaguchi Prefecture 1st district (elected 9 times)

Date	Curriculum Vitae
15 March 1942	Born in Ehime Prefecture, Japan
March 1965	Faculty of Law, Chuo University
1965	Passed National Bar Exam
1968	Registered as lawyer
June 1980	Elected as member of the House of Representatives (hence returned 8 consecutive times)
Nov. 1987	Parliamentary Vice-Minister of the Defense Agency
June 1989	Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Finance
March 1990	Director of the National Defense Division, Liberal Democratic Party
Jan. 1991	Chairman of the Special Committee on Disasters, House of Representatives
Nov. 1991	Chairman of the Special Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, House of Representatives
June 1994	Director-General (Minister of State), Economic Planning Agency
Nov. 1996	Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs
July 1998	Minister for Foreign Affairs
Dec. 2000	Minister of Justice
March 2002	Chairman of the Special Committee on External economic cooperation, Liberal Democratic Party
June 2003	Chairman of the Special Committee on Prevention of International Terrorism and Japan's Cooperation and Support; Humanitarian Assistance for Reconstruction in Iraq, House of Representatives
August 2007	Minister of Defense
September 2007	Minister for Foreign Affairs
August 2008	Minister for Foreign Affairs (reappointed)

Family

married with 2 sons and 1 daughter