14 Facts About Michita Sakata

Michita Sakata was a Japanese politician and member of the House of Representatives.

Michita Sakata was born in 1916 in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto, Japan, to a land-owning family.

Michita Sakata's parents were Michio and Youko Sakata, and he hailed from a political family background.

Michita Sakata attended Yatsushiro Middle School and Seijou High School.

Michita Sakata then went on to study German studies at Tokyo Imperial University.

Michita Sakata worked for the Policy Affairs Research Council and was chairman of the Education System Research Council twice during the 1960s.

However, before the Council could publish their report in 1971, Michita Sakata was replaced as Minister of Education by Takami Saburo, a move that provided a decisive blow to the Council.

In December 1974, Michita Sakata was appointed head of the Defense Agency, later known as the Ministry of Defense.

Michita Sakata consistently referred to himself as an "amateur" in terms of defense policy, as he was, at his heart, an educator.

Michita Sakata was considered a dove within the Diet due to his desire for a "small, but high quality" defense agency.

Michita Sakata preferred the idea that Japan's national defense budget would not exceed one percent of the country's Gross National Product, but argued against the Ministry of Finance that the one percent ceiling would come soon, and that considering American policy towards Japan at the time, the limit was unwise to be officially imposed.

From 1985 to 1986, Michita Sakata served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

In 1989, after the resignation of Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita, Michita Sakata was considered as a strong potential successor and was recommended as one by party leadership.

However, Michita Sakata turned the position down, noting that he would not like to serve in a "highly political position" having served as a neutral Speaker.