Sōhei Miyashita

was a Japanese politician who served as Minister of Health and Welfare from 1998 to 1999, Director-General of the Environmental Agency from 1994 to 1995 and Director-General of the Defense Agency from 1991 to 1992.

A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Miyashita served in the House of Representatives from 1979 to 2003.

Biography Miyashita was born in Nagano Prefecture on 10 November 1927 to a family of farmers. He attended the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, but after the academy was abolished under the American occupation he enrolled in the University of Tokyo. He joined the Ministry of Finance after graduating in 1951.

Miyashita had a long career in the Ministry. He was seconded as a secretary to the Chief Cabinet Secretary Shigeru Hori in 1968. He also worked as a budget examiner. He resigned from the Ministry to run in the 1979 House of Representatives election. He elected for the first time and would serve for seven terms.

Miyashita was a member of the Seiwakai within the Liberal Democratic Party. In December 1990 he became director of the LDP General Affairs Bureau, which handled election measures. Miyashita was appointed director general of the Japan Defense Agency in the cabinet of Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa on 5 November 1991, and served in the post until 12 December 1992.

Miyashita served as appointed director general of the Environmental Agency to the cabinet led by Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama from August 1994 to August 1995. Miyashita succeeded Shin Sakurai in the post when the latter resigned from office due to his statements about the role of Japan in World War II.

Miyashita was made subcommitee chairman of the LDP Tax Commission in November 1996 and remained until he was appointed minister of health and welfare in the cabinet of Prime Minister Keizō Obuchi. He left in January 1999 and was again made subcommitee chairman of the LDP Tax Commission in July 2000. He continued in that role until his retired from politics by not running in the 2003 election. His son Ichiro Miyashita was elected in his stead.

Miyashita died of pneumonia in Tokyo on 7 October 2013.