Shoichi Nakagawa
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Shoichi Nakagawa (中川 昭一 Nakagawa Shōichi, born July 19, 1953, Hokkaido), is a Japanese politician currently serving as Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in the cabinet of Junichiro Koizumi. He previously held the post of Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.
He is politician Ichiro Nakagawa's son. He graduated from the law faculty of the University of Tokyo in 1978 and entered the Industrial Bank of Japan. His father, a prominent politician from Hokkaido, mysteriously committed suicide in a hotel in 1983. Although Shoichi was born in Tokyo and had lived there his whole life, he ran to replace his father and succeeded him. At that time, he had a widely publicized conflict with his father's political aide, Muneo Suzuki, who also ran for a seat in a neighboring district. (Suzuki was forced to resign on corruption charges in 2002.)
In 1998 he became Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries under Keizo Obuchi, and in 2003 he became Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry in the cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Since October, 2005, he again has been serving as Agriculture Minister.
He has a reputation for being a blunt and conservative politician.
In April 2004 it was revealed that he had not been paying into the national pension plan for 21 years.