Masatoshi Wakabayashi
若林 正俊
Wakabayashi in 2007
Leader of the Opposition
Acting
In office 16 September 2009 – 28 September 2009
Prime Minister	Yukio Hatoyama
Preceded by	Yukio Hatoyama
Succeeded by	Sadakazu Tanigaki
Personal details
Born	(1934-07-04)4 July 1934 Nagano, Japan
Died	11 November 2023(2023-11-11) (aged 89) Tokyo, Japan
Political party	Liberal Democratic Party

Masatoshi Wakabayashi (若林 正俊, Wakabayashi Masatoshi, 4 July 1934 – 11 November 2023) was a Japanese politician who was a member of Liberal Democratic Party.

Life and career

Wakabayashi became the third Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries appointed in Shinzō Abe's first cabinet after Toshikatsu Matsuoka killed himself as a result of financial scandal and Matsuoka's successor Norihiko Akagi resigned due to other financial scandals. He was appointed to the same position again in Abe's first reshuffled cabinet after Takehiko Endo's resignation.

After Abe's resignation, he worked under Yasuo Fukuda, who appointed Seiichi Ota his successor.

Wakabayashi died in Tokyo on 11 November 2023, at the age of 89.^[1]

Resignation

In March 2010 he resigned from the Diet after being accused of pressing the voting button for fellow lawmaker Mikio Aoki, whose Diet seat was next to him, while Aoki was absent from a house plenary vote.^[2][3]

Honours

•  Japan:
  • Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (July 2011)