Seiichi Eto

is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who served as a minister of state from 2019 to 2020.

He served as a member of the House of Councillors since 2007, and previously served in the House of Representatives. He was a friend and adviser of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Biography Seiichi Eto was born on 1 October 1947 in Ōita, the capital of Oita Prefecture. He studied economics as Oita University. As a student, he was involved in right-wing student activities in opposition to the left-wing Zengakuren, which dominated campuses at the time.

Eto graduated in 1970. Three years later he was elected to the Ōita City Council. He served for two terms until his election to the Ōita Prefectural Assembly in 1979. After an unsuccessful run in 1986, Eto was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1990, representing 1st Oita district.

Eto lost his seat in 2000, but was re-elected three years later. He lost his seat again in 2005, having been refused LDP endorsement due to voting against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's postal privatisation bill. After Koizumi was succeeded by Eto's friend Shinzo Abe, most of the postal rebels who had won reelection were readmited to the LDP. It was unclear what would happen to those of the rebels who had lost their seats, but Eto was chosen as a candidate in the proportional block for the 2007 House of Councillors election by the strong will of Prime Minister Abe. Tough the party faced a setback overall, Eto was reelected.

When Abe returned to the premiership in December 2012, Eto became a special adviser to the Prime Minister.

In November 2024, Eto was appointed head of the LDP taskforce for the abduction issue.

Eto is affiliated to the right-wing organisation Nippon Kaigi and served as secretary general of the Nippon Kaigi Diet Members' Roundtable (日本会議国会議員懇談会).