Departures of note

Chikara Sakaguchi was born on 1 April 1934 in Mie Prefecture. He earned an MD from Mie University and worked at the Red Cross Blood Center before entering politics. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1972 as a member of Komeito and served eleven terms.

He held several senior cabinet posts, including Labour Minister in the 1993‑94 Hosokawa cabinet and, after the 2000‑01 Mori cabinet merger, became the first Minister of the newly created Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. He retained that portfolio under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi until 2004, overseeing reforms such as BSE testing and pension system changes.

Sakaguchi also served as deputy leader of Komeito and later as a special advisor to the party. He retired from the Diet in 2012 due to party age rules and remained active in advisory roles until his death. He died of natural causes on 7 August 2026 in Takamatsu at the age of 92.