Ritsuko Nagao

Ritsuko Nagao
長尾 立子
Minister of Justice
In office
11 January 1996  7 November 1996
Prime MinisterRyutaro Hashimoto
Preceded byHiroshi Miyazawa
Succeeded byIsao Matsuura
Member of the House of Councillors
In office
19 May 1997  25 July 1998
Preceded byHitoshi Shimasaki
Succeeded byMulti-member district
ConstituencyNational PR
Personal details
Born (1933-05-01) 1 May 1933
Political partyLiberal Democratic
Alma materUniversity of Tokyo

Ritsuko Nagao (Japanese: 長尾立子, romanized: Nagao Ritsuko; born 1933) is a former Japanese politician who is the first woman to serve as the Minister of Justice.

In 1996, Nagao was appointed to the Cabinet of Japan as the Minister of Justice by Ryutaro Hashimoto, where she was the only woman and only appointee who was not a member of Parliament already. Before her appointment as the Minister of Justice, she worked as a bureaucrat in the Health and Welfare Ministry.