After honing his skills as a politician in the Saga Prefectural Assembly (where he eventually became speaker), he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1969 on a ticket from the Liberal Democratic Party.
In Yasuhiro Nakasone's second cabinet, he was named Transport minister.
[1] In Kiichi Miyazawa's cabinet he was Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare.
[2] Between 1988 and 2003 he was chairperson of the board of trustees of his alma mater, Senshu University.
He retired from national politics in 2000, but remained an adviser for the Saga branch of the LDP.