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Muneo Suzuki (鈴木 宗男 Suzuki Muneo, born 31 January 1948), commonly known simply as " Muneo" due to his common last name, is a Japanese politician from Ashoro, Hokkaido, currently serving as a member of the House of Councillors since 2019, representing the National PR block.
He was appointed Head of the Hokkaido Development Agency and the Okinawa Development Agency in 1997 and later as Vice Minister of the Cabinet of Prime Minister Keizō Obuchi.
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He left the LDP in 2002 and was arrested later that year for suspicion of accepting bribes from two Hokkaido companies. He did not run for reelection in the 2003 elections on the stated grounds that he was undergoing surgery to treat stomach cancer. His secretary Akira Miyano was convicted of bribery in 2003, and Muneo was convicted of taking the bribes, failure to declare political donations, and perjury and sentenced to two years in prison and fined ¥11 million in November 2004. He remained free and in office as he appealed the conviction.
Muneo ran for the House of Councillors in 2004. He was defeated, but ran successfully for the House of Representatives of Japan in the 11 September 2005 elections after forming the New Party Daichi. He is the only elected member of the party.
On 7 September 2010, the Supreme Court of Japan unanimously upheld Suzuki's conviction and sentence. In response, Suzuki stated that he would file a complaint against the ruling. As the complaint was rejected, Suzuki was removed from office and the fine and prison sentence took effect. He was also banned from running for public office for five years after completion of the prison sentence.Kyodo News, "Lawmaker Suzuki loses bribery appeal", Japan Times, 9 September 2010, p. 1. Suzuki was paroled on 6 December 2011 after serving one year in prison in Tochigi Prefecture.Ito, Masami, " Bribed lawmaker Muneo Suzuki out on parole", Japan Times, 7 December 2011, p. 2.
On 11 October 2023, Suzuki resigned from Nippon Ishin no Kai following calls for his expulsion from the party after he visited Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He stated, "I believe in Russia's victory" and "This war occurred because Zelenskyy did not adhere to the Minsk agreements."
Suzuki resigned from the House of Councillors on 20 June 2025. On the same day, he was reinstated as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, rejoining after 23 years. Resignation from the Diet is legally required for switching parties if elected in the proportional block. On the following day, he announced his candidacy in the proportional block on the LDP list for the 2025 House of Councillors election. He announced his retirement from politics in the morning of July 21, when he was expected to lose the election. He was elected a few hours later.
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