A native of Kamakura, Kanagawa, Yamagiwa graduated from Yamaguchi University and received a Ph.D. in veterinary medicine from the University of Tokyo. After working as a veterinarian, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2003.
Within the LDP, Yamagiwa has served as Parliamentary Secretary of Cabinet Office, and as a member of the Committee on Cabinet.[2] In his early years in parliament, much of his work related to trade relations with other countries, notably in Africa,[3] East Asia, and Islands in the Southern Ocean.
On 10 August 2022, seven ministers were purged because of ties to the Unification Church following the assassination of Shinzo Abe and increasing media scrutiny of LDP officials' close ties with the church.[4][5] The Kishida administration had asked ministers to disclose any connections to the church prior to reshuffling the second cabinet. Because Yamagiwa neglected to disclose this information and his records had not yet been investigated, he retained his post as Minister of Economic Revitalization. After the new cabinet was formed, past exchanges between Yamagiwa and the controversial religious organization resurfaced. He announced that he had previously paid membership fees and attended a Unification Church event[6] but explained his delayed response by claiming he had forgotten and no longer had access to the records that would implicate him. he He resigned from his cabinet position on 24 October 2022, expressing regret for his actions and stating that he will remain as a member of the Diet because he did not do anything illegal.[1] Yamagiwa stepped down voluntarily as to avoid any additional turbulence caused by the scandal. He was the highest ranking government official to be purged, though indirectly. Yamagiwa continues to rank highly within the LDP's hierarchical structure, working on many of the same international issues related to economy, energy, and wildlife.
