Date of birth: March 15, 1941

Nonpolitician

Morimoto is the first-ever nonpolitician to be named defense chief. Noda apparently tapped him for his expertise of defense and military affairs — his predecessor, Naoki Tanaka, was badly bashed by opposition parties and the media for his lack of professional knowledge.

Morimoto has been a firm supporter of the government's traditional defense policy centered on the U.S. military alliance, another apparent reason for his appointment.

After graduating from the National Defense Academy of Japan, Morimoto began working at the Air-Self Defense Force in 1965. He then joined the security policy section of the Foreign Ministry's American Bureau in 1979, and later became a private-sector analyst in 1992.

Morimoto is the author of a 551-page book detailing the history of political negotiations over the contentious relocation plan of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, Okinawa.