Date of birth: Sept. 20, 1940

Party: LDP

Electoral district: Lower House; Fukuoka No. 8 (11th term)

Aso, 72, is returning to the Cabinet for the first time since stepping down as prime minister in September 2009 and will also double as financial services minister.

His resume includes stints as internal affairs minister and secretary general, as well as foreign minister under Shinzo Abe.

The Fukuoka native has kept a low profile since the LDP's historic collapse in the 2009 general election. But he was one of the first to endorse Abe for LDP president in September and shares his views on the economy, including aggressive monetary easing and growth driven by massive fiscal spending.

Aso's grandfather was Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida and his father-in-law was Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki. His sister is married to Emperor Akihito's cousin. Aso once ran a family-owned cement firm in Kyushu.