Outspoken veteran lawmaker Taro Aso became the longest-serving finance minister in postwar Japan on Monday.

Aso, 77, has been finance minister for 1,875 days under the administration of his close ally Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, eclipsing the previous record holder Kiichi Miyazawa.

Aso concurrently serves as deputy prime minister and state minister in charge of financial services.

During his five years as finance chief, Aso has overseen efforts to fix the country’s finances as its fiscal health is the worst among advanced economies.

He has chaired a high-level bilateral economic dialogue with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, a framework launched last year to discuss economic, trade and other issues.

Aso is known for his love of comic books and is a grandson of former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida. The former Olympic sharpshooter served as Japan’s prime minister between 2008 and 2009 in the midst of the global financial crisis.

==Kyodo