Hiroshi Miyazawa

Hiroshi Miyazawa (宮澤 弘, Miyazawa Hiroshi) was born on 22 September 1921. He passed away on 26 May 2012. Miyazawa was a Japanese politician who served as the Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture from 1973 to 1981 and as the Minister of Justice from 1995 to 1996.

He was born in 1921 and was the younger brother of Kiichi Miyazawa, who also held prominent political positions in Japan. Miyazawa was elected as governor of Hiroshima in December 1973 as a candidate representing the Liberal Democratic Party. In that election, he defeated Noriaki Yamada, the candidate from the Japanese Communist Party. During his tenure as governor, Miyazawa supported efforts to enhance the autonomy of local governors within the Japanese administrative system.

On 9 October 1996, Miyazawa was appointed Minister of Justice, succeeding Tomoharu Tazawa in the position. During his time as Minister of Justice, Miyazawa attempted to utilize Japan’s anti-subversion law in relation to the Aum Shinrikyo sect, which was involved in the Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995.

In September 2000, as a private citizen, Miyazawa wrote an article published in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. In the article, he criticized local authorities in Japan for their refusal to enroll children of Aum Shinrikyo members in public schools.