扇千景さん死去、８９歳　参院議長、初代国交相を歴任

　女性初の参院議長を務め、保守党党首や初代国土交通相も歴任した扇千景（おおぎ・ちかげ、本名林寛子＝はやし・ひろこ）さんが９日午前７時５６分、食道胃接合部がんのため東京都内の病院で死去した。８９歳だった。神戸市出身。
　密葬は近親者のみで執り行った。本葬は２７日正午から東京都港区芝公園４の７の３５の増上寺「光摂殿」で。喪主は長男で歌舞伎俳優の四代目中村鴈治郎（なかむら・がんじろう、本名林智太郎＝はやし・ともたろう）さん。
　宝塚歌劇団出身の元女優。舞台、映画、テレビドラマのほか、ワイドショーの司会などで活躍した。１９７７年の参院選全国区に自民党から出馬して初当選した。９４年に離党し、新生党へ。新進党、自由党を経て、２０００年の保守党の結党では初代党首に就任した。
　第２次森内閣で建設相として初入閣。０１年の中央省庁再編で初代国交相となった。０３年に自民党に復党し、０４年に参院議長に選出された。参院当選５回。０７年に政界を引退した。
　１０年に女性で初めて桐花大綬章を受章。夫は歌舞伎俳優の故坂田藤十郎さん。（2023/03/13-17:09）

Chikage Ogi, who served as the first female president of Japan's House of Councillors, died of esophagogastric junction cancer at a Tokyo hospital on Thursday. She was 89.
   A native of the western Japan city of Kobe, Ogi, whose real name was Hiroko Hayashi, started her career in the show business as a member of Takarazuka Revue, a famed all-female musical troupe, and appeared in many stage roles, movies and television dramas. She also hosted TV shows.
   She was first elected to the upper chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, in 1977 on the ticket of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
   Ogi moved to the now-defunct New Frontier Party in 1994. After joining other parties, she took the helm of the now-defunct New Conservative Party when it was launched in 2000.
   She obtained her first ministerial post as construction minister in the second cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and became the first transport minister through the reorganization of government ministries and agencies in 2001