Akiko Santō

The native form of this personal name is Santō Akiko. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Akiko Santō
山東 昭子
Santō in 2020
President of the House of Councillors
In office 1 August 2019 – 3 August 2022
Preceded by	Chūichi Date
Succeeded by	Hidehisa Otsuji
Vice President of the House of Councillors
In office 7 August 2007 – 30 July 2010
President	Satsuki Eda
Preceded by	Akira Imaizumi
Succeeded by	Hidehisa Otsuji
Director General of Science and Technology Agency
In office 29 December 1990 – 5 November 1991
Prime Minister	Toshiki Kaifu
Preceded by	Tomoji Ōshima
Succeeded by	Kanzō Tanigawa
Member of House of Councillors
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 July 2001
Constituency	National PR
In office 25 August 1995 – 2 October 1996
Constituency	National PR
In office 7 July 1974 – 7 July 1992
Constituency	National district (1974–1986) National PR (1986–1992)
Personal details
Born	(1942-05-11) 11 May 1942 Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
Political party	Liberal Democratic Party
Alma mater	Bunka Gakuin

Akiko Santō (山東 昭子, Santō Akiko, born 11 May 1942) is a Japanese politician who served as President of the House of Councillors from 2019 to 2022. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, she was previously the vice president of the House of Councillors from 2007 to 2010.

Background and career

Akiko Santō was born in Setagaya, Tokyo, on 11 May 1942. She was the grandniece of Kodama Ryōtarō (1872 – 1921), who served in the House of Representatives during the Taishō era. On the recommendation of the composer Ikuma Dan, a friend of her mother, Santo became the host of a TBS Radio children's program at the age of eleven. She graduated from Bunka Gakuin in 1961.

Santo was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1974 after working as an actress and reporter. She was parliamentary vice-minister of environment (Ohira cabinet), and minister of state and director general of the Science and Technology Agency (Kaifu cabinet, 1990–91). She became vice president of the House of Councillors in 2007, and chaired the joint plenary meeting of party members of both houses of the Diet.

After the 2019 election, Santo was elected President of the House of Councillors. She stepped down after the 2022 election.

The Senkaku episode

Santo played a role in the sale of three of the Senkaku Islands. She had known the landowner (Kurihara family) for 30 years, and in 2011 he told her that he wanted to sell to the governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara (whose nationalistic book he liked), instead of to the government and the prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda. The latter proposed a land swap, the former cash, and eventually the state bought the land for $25.5 million in 2012.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)