Former Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Mikio Aoki, known for the strong influence he wielded as head of the party's upper house caucus, has died of old age, LDP lawmakers said Monday. He was 89.
Aoki, who was elected four times as a House of Councillors member starting in 1986, died Sunday at a facility in Kawasaki, near Tokyo, the lawmakers said. He retired from politics in 2010.
Before becoming a member of the upper house, Aoki served as a secretary to the late Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita and a prefectural assembly member in Shimane Prefecture in western Japan.
He was chief Cabinet secretary under the late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi in 1999 and former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori in 2000.
Aoki came under public criticism for being one of five LDP power brokers who handpicked Mori as the next prime minister during a closed-door meeting shortly after Obuchi collapsed from a stroke in 2000.
Later serving as the LDP's secretary general in the upper house and head of the LDP caucus in the chamber, Aoki also established personal connections with members of other parties, earning him the moniker of "upper house kingpin."
Even after retiring as a politician, Aoki continued to hold influence in the LDP faction originally led by Takeshita and then by the former premier's late brother Wataru. The faction is currently led by LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi.
Given Aoki's power in the ruling party, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with him late last year to exchange views on government management.
