Chikako Asō

Chikako Asō (麻生 千賀子, also 麻生 ちか子), born on May 30, 1950, with the maiden name Suzuki (鈴木 千賀子), is a Japanese businesswoman. She is the daughter of Zenkō Suzuki, who served as the 44th Prime Minister of Japan, and Sachi Hagiwara. Her family has notable connections within Japanese political and imperial circles; her father Zenkō Suzuki served in the House of Representatives representing Iwate Prefecture's 1st district and held the office of Prime Minister from July 17, 1980, to November 27, 1982. Her younger brother, Shun'ichi Suzuki, is also a politician.

Asō graduated from the Home Economics Faculty of Japan Women's University. She married Tarō Asō, who later became the 59th Prime Minister of Japan, on November 3, 1983. Their wedding was arranged with the involvement of her father, Zenkō Suzuki, who invited Tarō Asō to dinner with her family during his tenure as Prime Minister. Tarō Asō is Roman Catholic and met Pope Benedict XVI during his political career. He is the brother of Princess Tomohito of Mikasa.

Chikako Asō and Tarō Asō have two children: Masahiro (born December 29, 1984), who is the CEO of Aso Corporation and the chairman of Junior Chamber International Japan, and Ayako (born April 27, 1987).

In her professional life, Chikako Asō serves on the board of directors of Aso Cement, a division of the Aso Group, a family-run conglomerate involved in industries such as mining, cement, medical care, theater, education, and environmental initiatives. The Aso Group has historical ties to the Aso family, and its operations include the use of labor under conditions that during World War II involved Koreans and prisoners of war (POWs) in slave labor at Aso Mining. In relation to this history, her husband, Tarō Asō, admitted on December 18, 2008, that POWs had been used in the mines, though he declined to issue an apology.

During her husband's periods of political activity, particularly when Tarō Asō was often engaged in work in Tokyo, Chikako Asō acted as a bridging figure between him and his constituency in Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyushu Island. She spent three years learning the local dialect and participated actively in campaigning, notably in her husband's hometown of Iizuka, where she is considered to have a high level of local popularity.

In her personal interests, Asō enjoys cooking and gardening, with a particular interest in cultivating roses.