Editing Takeo Fukuda (section)

==Political career==
In the [[1952 Japanese general election|1952 election]], Fukuda was elected as an independent to the House of Representatives, representing the [[Gunma's 3rd district (1947-1993)|third district of Gunma]].

Fukuda grew close to [[Nobusuke Kishi]], who was making a political comeback. He joined the [[Liberal Party (Japan, 1950)|Liberal Party]] along with Kishi in 1953 and when Kishi was expelled the following year Fukuda left with him and took part in forming the [[Japan Democratic Party|Democratic Party]]. Fukada became a prized lieutenant to Kishi.<ref name=MacDougall /><ref>{{cite web|last=Inoue |first=Masaya |url=https://10mtv.jp/pc/content/detail.php?movie_id=4909 |website=10MTV |publisher=Imagineer Co., Ltd. |title=昭電疑獄で大蔵省を去り政界へ…なぜ岸信介に惹かれたのか |language=ja |access-date=March 7, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Kapur|first=Nick|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Re5hDwAAQBAJ|title=Japan at the Crossroads: Conflict and Compromise after Anpo|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=2018|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=978-0674984424|page=25}}</ref>

The two parties merged to form the [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|Liberal Democratic Party]] in 1955. After Kishi became prime minister, Fukuda became chairman of the Policy Research Council in 1958 and secretary-general in January 1959. Fukuda joined the cabinet in June as Minister of Agriculture, remaining until the Kishi was forced to resign as prime minister due to the massive [[Anpo protests|1960 Anpo protests]] against the U.S.-Japan Security treaty.

After that, [[Hayato Ikeda]] was elected as LDP president and prime minister with the support of Kishi and his brother [[Eisaku Satō]]. Fukuda again became chairman of the Policy Research Council in December 1960. Before long, the alliance between Ikeda, Kishi and Satō began to fray. Satō wanted to succeed Ikeda and Kishi was inclined to support him, but Ikeda intended to have a long-term administration. In the reshuffle of July 1961, Ikeda treated his former opponents [[Banboku Ōno]] and [[Ichirō Kōno]] generously to balance the influence of Kishi and Satō. Fukuda for his part lost his position as policy chairman.

In January 1962, Fukuda formed the "Party Spirit Renovation League" (''Tōfū Sasshin Renmei''), which became a forum for Diet members to air anti-Ikeda grievances.<ref name="Kapur 2018 96">{{Cite book|last=Kapur|first=Nick|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Re5hDwAAQBAJ|title=Japan at the Crossroads: Conflict and Compromise after Anpo|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=2018|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=978-0674984424|page=96}}</ref> The Kishi faction began to split between those who opposed or supported Ikeda, led by Fukuda and {{ill|Shojiro Kawashima|jp|川島正次郎|vertical-align=sup}} respectively. Kishi disbanded the faction in July 1962 and all but the group close to Kawashima joined Fukuda, who became Kishi's de facto successor as factional leader.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Watanabe|first=Tsuneo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=De_WAAAAQBAJ|title=Japan's Backroom Politics: Factions in a Multiparty Age|publisher=Lexington Books|year=2013|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=978-0739173909|page=106}}</ref>

Satō decided not to stand in the 1962 LDP leadership election and Ikeda successfully ran unopposed, but the 70 or so members of the Party Spirit Renovation League cast blank ballots in protest.<ref name="Kapur 2018 96"/> In the 1964 leadership election Fukuda strongly supported Satō against Ikeda. Satō was defeated, but soon afterwards Ikeda fell ill and had to resign as prime minister, naming Satō as his successor.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kapur|first=Nick|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Re5hDwAAQBAJ|title=Japan at the Crossroads: Conflict and Compromise after Anpo|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=2018|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=978-0674984424|page=98}}</ref>

Although Fukuda remained locked out of the cabinet during the Ikeda years, his star began to rise again under Satō. Fukuda rose to the prestigious posts of Minister of Finance (1965–66, 1968–71) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1971–72). After Satō's third and final term as prime minister came to an end in 1972, Fukuda ran as a candidate to replace him but lost out to insurgent candidate [[Kakuei Tanaka]]. Under Tanaka, Fukuda once again served as Minister of Finance (1973–74), and even when the Tanaka cabinet fell due to a corruption scandal, Fukuda was seen as "clean" and served a stint as Director of the Economic Planning Agency under the ensuing cabinet of [[Takeo Miki]] (1974–76).