Sosuke Uno

Sōsuke Uno was a Japanese politician who served as the 75th Prime Minister of Japan for 68 days in 1989. He was the first Prime Minister who came from Shiga Prefecture. He was born in Moriyama, Shiga, to a wealthy family that owned a sake brewery. He graduated from Hikone Commercial College and Kobe University of Commerce, but had to leave the university to join the Imperial Japanese Army as an officer during World War II. He was sent to Siberia as a prisoner of war after the war, and wrote a book about his experiences. He entered politics in 1960, winning election to the House of Representatives. He served in various ministerial posts, including Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister of International Trade and Industry, and Director General of the Science and Technology Agency. He became the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Prime Minister in 1989, after his predecessor Noboru Takeshita resigned due to a bribery scandal. However, Uno himself was soon involved in a scandal, when a geisha named Mitsuko Nakanishi accused him of having an extramarital affair and being stingy in his financial support. He also faced public criticism for his handling of the Heisei recession and the Emperor's illness. He resigned after the Liberal Democrats suffered a major defeat in the parliamentary elections of July 1989. He continued to serve in various government posts until he retired from politics in 1996. He died of lung cancer in 1998, at the age of 75. He was married to Chiyo Uno, and had two daughters.