He graduated from the Department of Art, University of Japan. After graduation, he entered the work of Komatsu Steel Machinery. Then he became the secretary of the director of the Environment Department in Miyazawa's cabinet. he has been the three-term Member of parliament of Chiba-ken since 1983 and the five-term Member of the House of Representatives since 1993. He has also served as Chairman of National Public Safety Commission (Japan) and Minister of State for Okinawa and its Northern Countermeasure and Disaster Prevention during Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo and Prime Minister Taro Aso. In September 2009, he became Acting Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party. He served as Minister of Economy and Industry in 2015.