{{Short description|Japanese politician (born 1980)}} {{BLP sources|date=January 2022}} {{Expand Japanese|topic=bio|date=January 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Hideki Murai | native_name = {{nobold|村井 英樹}} | native_name_lang = ja | image = Murai Hideki.jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2021 | office = Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary<br>{{small|(Political affairs, House of Representatives)}} | prime_minister = Fumio Kishida | term_start = 13 September 2023 | term_end = 1 October 2024 | predecessor = Seiji Kihara | successor = Keiichiro Tachibana | office1 = Member of the House of Representatives | constituency1 = Saitama 1st | term_start1 = 16 December 2012 | term_end1 = | predecessor1 = Koichi Takemasa | successor1 = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|5|14|df=y}} | birth_place = Urawa, Saitama, Japan | death_date = | death_place = | party = Liberal Democratic | alma_mater = University of Tokyo }} {{nihongo|'''Hideki Murai'''|村井 英樹|Murai Hideki|born 14 May 1980}} is a Japanese politician who served as Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary from 2023 to 2024. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He has represented Saitama 1st district in the House of Representatives since 2012.
Born in Saitama Prefecture and educated at the University of Tokyo, Murai was an official in the Ministry of Finance before entering politics.
==Biography== Hideki Murai was born on 14 May 1980 in Urawa, Saitama Prefecture. After attending Kaijo Academy, he studied at the University of Tokyo. Initially a science major, he switched to study international politics, and joined the Ministry of Finance after graduating in 2003. Murai was involved in FTA negotiations and tax administration and was also seconded to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. While in the Ministry he attended Harvard University and graduated in 2010. Murai left the ministry the following year and applied to become a candidate for the Liberal Democratic Party in the upcoming election.<ref name=Profile>{{cite web |url=https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/101_kishida/meibo/daijin/murai_hideki.html |title=村井 英樹 |website=Kantei |publisher=Cabinet Public Affairs Office, Cabinet Secretariat |access-date=19 September 2024 }}</ref>
Murai was elected as the LDP candidate for Saitama 1st district in the 2012 House of Representatives election, in which the LDP regained power. Murai joined the Kōchikai and became a close aide to its leader Fumio Kishida.<ref>{{Cite web|last=INC|first=SANKEI DIGITAL|date=2021-10-26|title=首相、側近の応援で埼玉1区入り|url=https://www.sankeibiz.jp/macro/news/211026/mca2110262012023-n1.htm|access-date=2022-01-28|website=SankeiBiz|language=ja}}</ref> In 2021, Murai headed the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's panel on digital currencies.<ref>Leika Kihara and Kentaro Sugiyama (5 July 2021). [https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japans-digital-yen-plan-become-clearer-late-2022-says-ruling-party-official-2021-07-05/ Japan's digital yen plan to become clearer late 2022, says ruling party official] ''Reuters''.</ref>
After Fumio Kishida became prime minister, he appointed Murai as Special Adviser to the Prime Minister for Domestic Economic and other special issues. In the September 2023 reshuffle he was promoted to Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary.<ref name=Profile /> He stepped down along with the cabinet in October 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2024100101113&g=pol |title=官房副長官に橘、青木氏 首相補佐官に長島氏起用―石破新政権 |date=2 October 2024 |website=Jiji.com |publisher=Jiji Press |language=ja |access-date=6 October 2024 }}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murai, Hideki}} Category:Living people Category:1980 births Category:People from Saitama (city) Category:University of Tokyo alumni Category:Harvard University alumni Category:Japanese civil servants Category:Japanese government officials Category:Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians Category:20th-century Japanese people Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2012–2014 Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2014–2017 Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2017–2021 Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2021–2024 Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2024–2026 Category:Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2026–
{{Japan-politician-1980s-stub}}