Minister of Finance Shoichi Nakagawa of Japan

This picture has been released into the public domain

Nakagawa was born in Hokkaidō and attended Azabu High School, graduated from the law faculty of the University of Tokyo in 1978 and entered the Industrial Bank of Japan.

Nakagawa has a reputation for being a blunt and conservative politician.

TOKYO, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said he was watching volatility in the foreign exchange market with alarm, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said he was closely watching the market though he added recent gains in the yen had been gradual.

I don't think there's a sense we're near the end,'' Nakagawa said in an interview with public broadcaster.

Japan Nakagawa: Keenly Watching FX MktsMorningstar 1/12/2009 7:13:04 PMJapanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Tuesday that he is closely watching the foreign exchange markets after the yen strengthened against.

Japan finmin: watching forex markets carefullyReuters 1/12/2009 6:50:09 PMJapanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said on Tuesday he was watching the foreign exchange market carefully.

Japan Nakagawa: Japan Econ Rapidly WorseningMorningstar 1/4/2009 9:10:17 PMJapanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Monday that the nation's economy is rapidly worsening and urged the quick passage of an extra.

Japan Nakagawa: Japan Econ Conditions Very Severe, WorseningMorningstar 12/18/2008 9:18:50 PMJapanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Friday he believes the government and the Bank of Japan share the same assessment of the nation's.

TOKYO (AFP) Japan's new Prime Minister Taro Aso on Wednesday named Shoichi Nakagawa, a former trade minister who favours public spending to boost the economy, as his finance minister.

Nakagawa joined the Industrial Bank of Japan in 1978 upon graduating from the elite University of Tokyo.

Nakagawa has triggered controversy with strong criticism of China and calls for Japan -- the only nation to have suffered an atomic attack -- to consider developing nuclear weapons.

House of Representatives member Shoichi Nakagawa is his eldest son.

Shoichi Nakagawa is also a veteran speaker at FCCJ events, having appeared at the club on three occasions in the recent past.

Nakagawa is a key powerbroker within the ruling LDP, and has held various positions in the cabinet, lower house and in the party.

Nakagawa said Japan, like the Bush administration, preferred the six-nation format, which includes China, Japan, Russia and South Korea.

Nakagawa is a former farm minister and a vocal nationalist, and, like many Japanese lawmakers, comes from a family of politicians.

Outside economics, Nakagawa has been an outspoken critic of China, once warning that Beijing's growing military capabilities could result in Japan becoming just another Chinese province in the future.

Nakagawa is a son of a late former farm minister Ichiro Nakagawa and a graduate of the prestigious University of Tokyo.

Nakagawa has called the incident a serious violation of the import process.

Nakagawa: Keenly Watching Forex MarketsTOKYO (Dow Jones)--Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Tuesday that he is closely watching the foreign exchange markets after the yen strengthened against the dollar.

Nakagawa Welcomes BOJ's Rate Cut, Liquidity Supply PolicyTOKYO (Kyodo)--Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Friday that he ''welcomes from the bottom of his heart'' the Bank of Japan's decision to lower its key short-term interest rate from 0.

Nakagawa: Econ Conditions Very Severe, WorseningTOKYO (Dow Jones)--Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Friday he believes the government and the Bank of Japan share the same assessment of the nation's embattled economy and that he will closely watch the outcome of the central bank's policy meeting ending later in the day.

Nakagawa: Short-Selling Rules Not Meant To Impede BrokersTOKYO (Nikkei)--Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Monday that the proposed tightening of regulations on short selling is not aimed at strengthening control over investors or increasing the workload of securities houses.

Nakagawa: Welcome Anticipated Steps By BOJTOKYO (Dow Jones)--Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Tuesday he welcomes anticipated steps by the Bank of Japan to help firms obtain funding and that he wants the central bank to work even harder to support the nation's economy.

Now serving as the LDPs policy chief, Nakagawa has played an important role in formulating outgoing Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumis economic policies, and is one architect of Abes stance of No fiscal reform without growth.

A close Abe ally, 62-year-old Nakagawa has said spending cuts must come before tax increases in achieving fiscal reform and stresses the need to foster economic growth.

TOKYO — Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hidenao Nakagawa was appointed Monday as secretary general of the governing Liberal Democratic Party, the No.

var RTR_ArticleBlurb = " (Adds details, background) TOKYO, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said he was watching volatility in the foreign exchange market with alarm, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

market with alarm, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

Nakagawa said in reference to the hounding of Japanese whaling ships by a ship operated by the non-profit group Sea Shepherd in the Antarctic Ocean, They have wounded Japanese.

4: Nakagawa was the site of an ], and today its most.

8: Nakagawa has one elementary school and one junior high sch.

Despite opposition from media organizations, the Finance Ministry displayed the Hinomaru flag in its press briefing room Friday under orders from Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa.

When Nakagawa was agriculture minister that same year, he riled ministry press club members by placing the Hinomaru in the farm ministry's briefing room.

When the law on the national anthem and national flag was enacted, then Prime Minister (Keizo) Obuchi told Cabinet ministers to display the national flag in the ministry, where it carries an official function," Nakagawa said Friday while conducting a regular news conference.

var RTR_ArticleBlurb = " (For more stories on the financial crisis click ) TOKYO, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said on Friday that he was not thinking about whether Japan would intervene in currency markets.

Japan would intervene in currency markets.

and alleged Nakagawa had contacts with an extreme right-wing group.

Bingguo and discussed a resumption of summits between Japan and China.

summit by the end of this year," Nakagawa said Sunday.

free-market reforms achieved under Koizumi.

hard line on China in a dispute over oil and gas fields in the East China Sea.

TOKYO, Oct 31 - Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said on Friday he wants the government and the Bank of Japan to cooperate closely in policy management to deal with the financial crisis and market turmoil.

decision to reduce its mad cow testing program, although Tokyo still wants Washington not to do so, Agriculture Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said on Friday.

Nakagawa has courted controversy in the past.