Chikako Asà  (麻ç åÂÂè³ÂÃ¥ÂÂ, also 麻ç ã¡ãÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ), (born May 30, 1950), (é´æ¨ Ã¥ÂÂè³ÂÃ¥ÂÂ), is a Japanese businesswoman, daughter of the 44th Prime Minister of Japan, Zenkà  Suzuki, wife of the 59th Prime Minister of Japan, Tarà  Asà Â, and elder sister of the politician Shun'ichi Suzuki. Her husband is the brother of Princess Tomohito of Mikasa.
Asà  is on the board of directors of Aso Cement, part of Aso Group, an Asà  family-run conglomerate with divisions in mining, cement, medical care, theater, education, and the environmant. During World War II, Aso Mining used Koreans and prisoners of war (POWs) as slave labor under brutal conditions. After decades of seeking an apology, Asà Â's husband, Tarà  Asà Â, finally admitted POWs had been used in the mines on December 18, 2008, but he refused to apologize.
Tarà  was often on business in Tokyo, so Asà  became the link between him and his constituency back in Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyushu Island. She spent three years learning the local dialect. She often campaigned for him in his hometown of Iizuka, where she is considered "more popular than Aso himself".
Asà  was born May 30, 1950 in Tokyo to Zenkà  Suzuki and Sachi Hagiwara. Suzuki was serving in the House of Representatives at the time and representing Iwate Prefecture's 1st district, which is where he was from. He later served as Japan's Prime Minister from July 17, 1980, to November 27, 1982. Her younger brother, Shun'ichi Suzuki is a politician. She graduated from the Home Economics Faculty of Japan Women's University.
Asà  met her future husband, Tarà  Asà Â, was invited to dinner with her family by her father Zenkà  Suzuki while he was Prime Minister. Tarà  was impressed with Chikako because she said he did not have to eat sea cucumber since he genuinely did not like it. They married on November 3, 1983. Tarà  served as Prime Minister of Japan from September 24, 2008, to September 16, 2009. Tarà  is Roman Catholic and he and Chikako and met Pope Benedict XVI. Her husband is the brother of Princess Tomohito of Mikasa.
Tarà  and Chikako have two children: Masahiro (麻ç å°Âè±Â) (b. December 29, 1984) and Ayako (麻ç 彩åÂÂ) (b. April 27, 1987). Masahiro is the CEO of Aso Corporation, the holding company of Aso Group and the chairman of Junior Chamber International Japan, a youth leadership organization. Asà  enjoys cooking and gardening, especially growing roses.