Voting Station

Kiichi Miyazawa

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World Leader

The Resume

    (October 8, 1919-January 28, 2007)
    Born in Fukuyama, Japan
    Member of the National Diet (1953-2003)
    Minister of International Trade and Industry (1970-71)
    Minister of Foreign Affairs (1974-76)
    Minister of Finance (1986-88,1998-2001)
    Prime Minister of Japan (1991-93)

Why he might be annoying:

    He avoided military service during World War II by joining the finance ministry.
    In 1992, he declared that the economy had bottomed out and was about to take off; instead, Japan remained in a recession for the rest of the decade (and beyond).
    He was forced to resign as Prime Minister after losing a 'no confidence' vote in the Diet.
    He was best known in the US for President George H.W. Bush vomiting on him during a state dinner (January 8, 1992).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was fluent in English and served as an aide during the negotiations that drew up the Treaty of San Francisco ending the US occupation of Japan (1951).
    He fought off a would-be robber in his Tokyo hotel room, leaving the assailant bleeding on the floor (1984).
    During a trip to South Korea (1992), he apologized for the use of 'comfort women' -- Asian women forced to work in front-line brothels during World War II.
    'The Guardian' wrote about his reaction to the Presidential vomiting, 'Miyazawa dealt with the incident with typical good grace, cradling Bush's head while Barbara Bush wiped the President's face.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 19 Votes: 42.11% Annoying