Yoshimasa Hayashi

Yoshimasa Hayashi
Yoshimasa Hayashi
林芳正
	Official portrait, 2023
Chief Cabinet Secretary
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 14 December 2023
Prime Minister	Fumio Kishida; Shigeru Ishiba
Preceded by	Hirokazu Matsuno
Minister for Foreign Affairs
	In office; 10 November 2021 – 13 September 2023
Prime Minister	Fumio Kishida
Preceded by	Toshimitsu Motegi; Fumio Kishida (acting)
Succeeded by	Yoko Kamikawa
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
	In office; 3 August 2017 – 2 October 2018
Prime Minister	Shinzō Abe
Preceded by	Hirokazu Matsuno
Succeeded by	Hiroshi Moriyama
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
	In office; 23 February 2015 – 7 October 2015
Prime Minister	Shinzō Abe
Preceded by	Koya Nishikawa
	In office; 26 December 2012 – 3 September 2014
Prime Minister	Shinzō Abe
Preceded by	Akira Gunji
Succeeded by	Koya Nishikawa
Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy
	In office; 2 July 2009 – 16 September 2009
Prime Minister	Taro Aso
Preceded by	Kaoru Yosano
Succeeded by	Naoto Kan
Minister of Defense
	In office; 2 August 2008 – 24 September 2008
Prime Minister	Yasuo Fukuda
Preceded by	Shigeru Ishiba
Succeeded by	Yasukazu Hamada
Member of the House of Representatives; for Yamaguchi's 3rd district;
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 3 November 2021
Preceded by	Takeo Kawamura
Member of the House of Councillors; for Yamaguchi's at-large district;
	In office; 24 July 1995 – 16 August 2021
Preceded by	Ken'ichi Yamada
Succeeded by	Tsuneo Kitamura
Personal details
Born	19 January 1961 (age 63); Shimonoseki, Japan
Political party	Liberal Democratic Party
Spouse	Yuko Hayashi
Children	2
Parent(s)	Yoshiro Hayashi (father); Mariko Hayashi (mother)
Relatives	Reiko Hayashi (sister); Keisuke Hayashi (paternal grandfather); Heishiro Hayashi (great-great-grandfather); Katsusada Hirose (uncle-in-law)
Alma mater	University of Tokyo (LLB) ; Harvard University (MPA)
Website	Official website

Yoshimasa Hayashi (林芳正, Hayashi Yoshimasa, born 19 January 1961) is a Japanese politician who has been serving as Chief Cabinet Secretary since December 2023. Hayashi previously held five cabinet positions: Minister of Defence (August 2008–September 2008), Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy (July 2009–September 2009), Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (December 2012–September 2014, February 2015–October 2015), Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (August 2017–October 2018), and Minister of Foreign Affairs (November 2021–September 2023) .

A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Hayashi was first elected to the House of Councillors in 1995, where he served for five terms until 2021. He resigned from the House to stand in the 2021 general election and has been serving as a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Yamaguchi 3rd district, since October 2021.