Tarō Asō
Tarō Asō (麻生 太郎, Asō Tarō, born 20 September 1940) is a Japanese politician serving as the Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since 2021. Asō previously served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2008 to 2009 and as Deputy Prime Minister of Japan and Minister of Finance from 2012 to 2021. He was the longest-serving Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in Japanese history, having previously served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2007 and as Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications from 2003 to 2005. He leads the Shikōkai faction within the LDP.
Tarō Asō | |
|---|---|
麻生 太郎 | |
Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party | |
| Assumed office 8 October 2021 | |
| President | Fumio Kishida |
| Secretary-General | Akira Amari Toshimitsu Motegi |
| Preceded by | Masahiko Kōmura |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Japan | |
| In office 26 December 2012 – 4 October 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Shinzo Abe Yoshihide Suga |
| Preceded by | Katsuya Okada |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| 75th Minister of Finance | |
| In office 26 December 2012 – 4 October 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Shinzo Abe Yoshihide Suga |
| Preceded by | Koriki Jojima |
| Succeeded by | Shunichi Suzuki |
| Prime Minister of Japan | |
| In office 24 September 2008 – 16 September 2009 | |
| Monarch | Akihito |
| Preceded by | Yasuo Fukuda |
| Succeeded by | Yukio Hatoyama |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 31 October 2005 – 27 August 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | Junichiro Koizumi Shinzo Abe |
| Preceded by | Nobutaka Machimura |
| Succeeded by | Nobutaka Machimura |
| Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications | |
| In office 22 September 2003 – 31 October 2005 | |
| Prime Minister | Junichiro Koizumi |
| Preceded by | Toranosuke Katayama |
| Succeeded by | Heizō Takenaka |
| Member of the House of Representatives from Fukuoka | |
| Assumed office 8 July 1986 | |
| Preceded by | Shinnen Tagaya |
| Constituency | Fukuoka 2nd district (1986–1996) Fukuoka 8th district (1996–present) |
| In office 7 October 1979 – 28 November 1983 | |
| Preceded by | Asao Mihara |
| Succeeded by | Toshio Ohashi |
| Constituency | Fukuoka 2nd district |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 September 1940 Iizuka, Fukuoka, Empire of Japan |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic Party (Shikōkai) |
| Spouse | Chikako Suzuki |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Shigeru Yoshida (grandfather) Nobuko, Princess Tomohito of Mikasa (sister) Princess Akiko (niece) Princess Yōko (niece) Ken'ichi Yoshida (uncle) |
| Education | Gakushuin University Stanford University (dropped out) London School of Economics |
| Website | Official website |
Asō was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1979. He served in numerous ministerial roles before becoming Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 2008, having also held that role temporarily in 2007. He was later elected LDP President in September 2008, becoming Prime Minister the same month. He led the LDP to the worst election result in its history a year later, marking only the second time in post-war Japan that a governing party had lost re-election, and resigned as the President of the party immediately afterwards. After the LDP returned to government following the 2012 election under Shinzo Abe, Asō was appointed to the Cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, retaining those roles when Yoshihide Suga replaced Abe in 2020. After Fumio Kishida was appointed Prime Minister in October 2021, Asō was moved to the role of Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Asō has been attached to a number of controversies in his career. He conceded in 2008 that his family had benefitted from forced labor during World War II, although he has refused to apologize for it. Asō also had a reputation for political gaffes and controversial remarks. He praised the Nazi Party for being able to stealthily modify the German constitution without alerting the general public, and once said "Hitler, who killed millions of people, was no good even if his motive was right". He later retracted the latter remark.