Shōichi Fujimori

Shōichi Fujimori (26 December 1926 – 25 June 2016) was a Japanese bureaucrat who served as Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Agency (1988–1996). He was born in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture.

Biography Shōichi Fujimori was born on 26 December 1926, to a farmer's family on the outskirts of Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture. Born the first day after the Emperor Shōwa acceded to the throne, his name Shōichi combined the first character of Showa (昭) with the character for one (一). Fujimori attended Matsumoto Higher School and was mobilised to work at a munitions factory during the Pacific War. He studied law at the University of Tokyo and joined the Ministry of Health and Welfare when he graduated in 1950.

At the time when the Isewan Typhoon struck Mie Prefecture, Fujimori was deeply involved in the disaster response, serving on secondment as chief of the Health and Welfare division in the Mie Prefectural Government. He was seconded to the Cabinet Secretariat as Chief Cabinet Counsellor (首席内閣参事官, Shuseki Naikaku Sanjikan) in July 1973. When Prime Minister Takeo Miki was attacked during the funeral of Eisaku Satō, Fujimori tackled and subdued the assailant. Fujimori was later transferred to the Environment Agency in July 1979, and successively served as chief of the Nature Conservation Bureau and chief of the Planning and Coordination Bureau, before being appointed administrative vice minister of the Environment in July 1981.

After retiring he served as President of the Japanese Red Cross Society until 2005, and was honorary president afterwards. Shōichi Fujimori died of sepsis on 25 June 2016.

Foreign honour Honorary Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (P.S.M.) (1991)