Yoshimasa Hayashi
Yoshimasa Hayashi | |
|---|---|
林 芳正 | |
Official portrait, 2025 | |
| Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications | |
| Assumed office 21 October 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Sanae Takaichi |
| Preceded by | Seiichiro Murakami |
| Chief Cabinet Secretary | |
| In office 14 December 2023 – 21 October 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Fumio Kishida Shigeru Ishiba |
| Preceded by | Hirokazu Matsuno |
| Succeeded by | Minoru Kihara |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 10 November 2021 – 13 September 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Fumio Kishida |
| Preceded by | Fumio Kishida |
| Succeeded by | Yoko Kamikawa |
| Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology | |
| In office 3 August 2017 – 2 October 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Shinzō Abe |
| Preceded by | Hirokazu Matsuno |
| Succeeded by | Masahiko Shibayama |
| Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | |
| In office 23 February 2015 – 7 October 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Shinzō Abe |
| Preceded by | Koya Nishikawa |
| Succeeded by | Hiroshi Moriyama |
| In office 26 December 2012 – 3 September 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Shinzō Abe |
| Preceded by | Akira Gunji |
| Succeeded by | Koya Nishikawa |
| Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy | |
| In office 2 July 2009 – 16 September 2009 | |
| Prime Minister | Taro Aso |
| Preceded by | Kaoru Yosano |
| Succeeded by | Naoto Kan |
| Minister of Defense | |
| In office 2 August 2008 – 24 September 2008 | |
| Prime Minister | Yasuo Fukuda |
| Preceded by | Shigeru Ishiba |
| Succeeded by | Yasukazu Hamada |
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| Assumed office 3 November 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Takeo Kawamura |
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| In office 24 July 1995 – 16 August 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Ken'ichi Yamada |
| Succeeded by | Tsuneo Kitamura |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 January 1961 Shimonoseki, Japan |
| Party | Liberal Democratic |
| Spouse | Yuko Hayashi |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Yoshiro Hayashi (father) Mariko Hayashi (mother) |
| Relatives | Reiko Hayashi (sister) Keisuke Hayashi (paternal grandfather) Heishiro Hayashi (great-great-grandfather) Katsusada Hirose (uncle-in-law) Ken Hirose (cousin) |
| Alma mater | University of Tokyo (LLB) Harvard University (MPA) |
| Signature | |
| Website | Official website |
Yoshimasa Hayashi (林 芳正, Hayashi Yoshimasa; born 19 January 1961) is a Japanese politician who has been serving as Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications since October 2025. Hayashi previously held six cabinet positions: Minister of Defence (August–September 2008), Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy (July–September 2009), Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (December 2012 – September 2014, February–October 2015), Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (August 2017 – October 2018), and Minister of Foreign Affairs (November 2021 – September 2023), and Chief Cabinet Secretary (December 2023 – October 2025).
A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Hayashi was first elected to the House of Councillors in 1995, where he served for five terms until 2021. He resigned from the House to stand in the 2021 general election and has been serving as a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Yamaguchi 3rd district, since October 2021.