Asō Tarō Wealthiest Among Japan’s House of Representatives Lawmakers

The average wealth of all 465 members of Japan’s House of Representatives has been disclosed as ¥26.7 million, which is the lowest on record. A number of veteran lawmakers with considerable assets either retired or were defeated in the election on October 27, 2024. (Average personal wealth was calculated as the combined total of financial assets and real estate; automobiles, golf-club membership, and stock holdings were also disclosed but not included in the monetary calculation.)

Over half of the members had less than ¥10 million in assets, while 95 members, or around 20%, reported “zero” personal assets. Lawmakers who are not part of political dynasties or who have served fewer terms in office tend to have lower assets. However, several influential Diet members reported “zero” assets, including Koizumi Shinjirō, who is the son of former Prime Minister Koizumi Jun’ichirō; Katō Ayuko, who is the daughter of former LDP Secretary-General Katō Kōichi; and Kawamura Takashi, the current co-leader of the Conservative Party of Japan.

The lawmaker with the highest reported assets, at ¥601.5 million, is former Prime Minister Asō Tarō of the Liberal Democratic Party, followed closely by Aisawa Ichirō, also of the LDP, whose assets total ¥601.03 million. In total, 22 lawmakers, mainly from the LDP, reported assets exceeding ¥100 million.

Among party leaders, Saitō Tetsuo of Kōmeitō had the highest personal assets by a wide margin, at ¥220.4 million. The assets of the current prime minister, Ishiba Shigeru, totaled ¥15.6 million, which is below the overall average.

The asset disclosure system was introduced in 1993. The system covers assets registered under an individual’s name as of the election date. Ordinary savings, deposits, and cryptocurrencies are not included. Additionally, assets under the names of family members are not subject to reporting, and concerns have been raised about potential loopholes. Since the information is not disclosed online, the only way to access the original data is by viewing the listing posted at the office building for Diet members. Copying or photographing the displayed documents is prohibited.

The information in this article is based on asset listings for House of Representatives members that were published in newspapers on April 8, 2025.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)