Tarō Asō facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tarō Asō
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麻生 太郎
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![]() Official portrait, 2017
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Prime Minister of Japan | |
In office 24 September 2008 – 16 September 2009 |
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Monarch | Akihito |
Preceded by | Yasuo Fukuda |
Succeeded by | Yukio Hatoyama |
President of the Liberal Democratic Party | |
In office 22 September 2008 – 28 September 2009 |
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Secretary-General | Hiroyuki Hosoda |
Preceded by | Yasuo Fukuda |
Succeeded by | Sadakazu Tanigaki |
Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party | |
In office 8 October 2021 – 27 September 2024 |
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President | Fumio Kishida |
Secretary-General | Akira Amari Toshimitsu Motegi |
Preceded by | Masahiko Kōmura |
Succeeded by | Yoshihide Suga |
Deputy Prime Minister of Japan | |
In office 26 December 2012 – 4 October 2021 |
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Prime Minister | Shinzo Abe Yoshihide Suga |
Preceded by | Katsuya Okada |
Succeeded by | Vacant |
Minister of Finance | |
In office 26 December 2012 – 4 October 2021 |
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Prime Minister | Shinzo Abe Yoshihide Suga |
Preceded by | Koriki Jojima |
Succeeded by | Shun'ichi Suzuki |
Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
In office 31 October 2005 – 27 August 2007 |
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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 |
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Prime Minister | Junichiro Koizumi |
Preceded by | Toranosuke Katayama |
Succeeded by | Heizō Takenaka |
Member of the House of Representatives from Fukuoka |
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Assumed office 8 July 1986 |
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Preceded by | Shinnen Tagaya |
Constituency | 2nd district (1986–1996) 8th district (1996–present) |
In office 7 October 1979 – 28 November 1983 |
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Preceded by | Asao Mihara |
Succeeded by | Toshio Ohashi |
Constituency | 2nd district |
Personal details | |
Born | Iizuka, Fukuoka, Empire of Japan |
20 September 1940
Political party | Liberal Democratic (Shikōkai) |
Spouse |
Chikako Suzuki
(m. 1983) |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Shigeru Yoshida (grandfather) Nobuko, Princess Tomohito of Mikasa (sister) Princess Akiko (niece) Princess Yōko (niece) Ken'ichi Yoshida (uncle) Zenkō Suzuki (father-in-law) Shun'ichi Suzuki (brother-in-law) |
Education | Gakushuin University Stanford University (dropped out) London School of Economics |
Tarō Asō (麻生 太郎, Asō Tarō, born 20 September 1940) is a Japanese politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 2008 to 2009. He is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He also held important roles like Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance from 2012 to 2021. He was the longest-serving person in these roles in Japan's history. Before that, he was Minister for Foreign Affairs (2005-2007) and Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications (2003-2005).
Asō was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1979. He held many government jobs before becoming the Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party in 2008. He became the leader of the LDP and Prime Minister in September 2008. The LDP lost the election in 2009, and Asō resigned as party president. When the LDP returned to power in 2012, Asō became Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister. He kept these jobs when Yoshihide Suga became Prime Minister in 2020. After leaving the cabinet, he became the Vice President of the LDP. He is known as an important leader within his party.
Contents
Family and Early Life
Tarō Asō was born on September 20, 1940, in Iizuka, Fukuoka Prefecture. His family was a very important business family in Kyushu, Japan. His great-grandfather, Takichi Asō, started a successful coal mining business. Tarō Asō's mother, Kazuko, was the daughter of Shigeru Yoshida. Yoshida was a famous diplomat who later became Prime Minister of Japan.
Asō went to Gakushuin school in Tokyo, which was a traditional school for children from important families. He finished Gakushuin University in 1963. He then studied at Stanford University in California but left early. His grandfather wanted him to study in Britain, so he went to the London School of Economics.
Business Career and Sports
After his studies, Asō joined the Aso Industry Company in 1966. He lived in Brazil for some time in the 1960s and learned to speak Portuguese very well.
From 1970 to 1972, Asō worked in the diamond mining business in Sierra Leone. He had to return to Japan because of unrest in the country.
Asō was the president of the Aso Mining Company from 1973 to 1979. He was also a member of Japan's shooting team at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. In 1978, he was the President of the Japan Junior Chamber.
Political Career
Starting in Politics
Asō was first elected to the House of Representatives in the 1979 election. He ran as a candidate for the LDP party. When he became a politician, his brother Yutaka took over the family business.
In December 1983, Asō married Chikako Suzuki. She is the daughter of former Prime Minister Zenkō Suzuki.
Becoming a Cabinet Minister
Asō got his first job in the government cabinet in November 1996. He became the Minister of State and Director General of the Economic Planning Agency. He served in this role until September 1997.
In 2003, he joined the government of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. He became the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications. On October 31, 2005, he became the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Running for LDP Leader
Asō was one of the main candidates to become Prime Minister after Koizumi in 2006. However, he lost the election within his party to Shinzo Abe. Both Asō and Abe had similar views on foreign policy.
Asō ran again for the LDP leadership in 2007 but lost to Yasuo Fukuda. He said he wanted to run to make sure there was a fair election. On August 1, 2008, Fukuda made Asō the Secretary-General of the LDP. This made Asō the second most powerful person in the party.
Serving as Prime Minister
On September 1, 2008, Prime Minister Fukuda suddenly announced he was resigning. Five LDP members, including Asō, ran to become the new party leader. Asō won the election on September 22, 2008. He received 351 out of 525 votes.
Two days later, on September 24, Asō was chosen by the Japanese Parliament (Diet) to be Prime Minister. The Emperor officially appointed him that night. Asō said that these were "turbulent times" because of the financial situation.
As Prime Minister, Asō announced his new cabinet. Five members had never been in the cabinet before. One of them, 34-year-old Yūko Obuchi, was the youngest cabinet member in Japan's history after World War II.
In February 2009, Prime Minister Asō traveled to Washington to meet with United States President Barack Obama. He was the first foreign leader to visit the Obama White House. This showed that Japan was still an important ally for the United States.
After becoming Prime Minister, many expected Asō to call for a new general election. However, he said the government needed to focus on the economic crisis. He finally announced a general election for August 30, 2009. The LDP lost the election by a large amount to the Democratic Party of Japan. This was one of the biggest defeats for a ruling party in modern Japanese history. Asō immediately resigned as LDP president.
After Being Prime Minister
When Shinzo Abe became Prime Minister again in December 2012, Asō was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. He was the first former Japanese Prime Minister to later serve as Deputy Prime Minister. After Shinzo Abe resigned in August 2020, Asō kept his positions under the new Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga.
In September 2021, when Suga resigned, Fumio Kishida became the new Prime Minister. Asō then became the Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party. In October 2021, Asō moved to the role of Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party. In July 2024, he became a Senior Advisor to the party.
Personal Life
Asō is married to Chikako Suzuki. She is the daughter of former Prime Minister Zenkō Suzuki. They married in 1983 and have two children, Masahiro and Ayako. Asō is also the older brother of Nobuko, Princess Tomohito of Mikasa. This makes him the uncle of Princess Akiko of Mikasa and Princess Yōko of Mikasa.
Love for Manga
Asō believes that Japanese pop culture, like manga, can help Japan connect with other countries. He hopes manga can be a "bridge to the world."
Asō has been a big fan of manga since he was a child. He used to have his family send him manga magazines when he was studying in college. In 2003, he said he read about 10 to 20 manga magazines every week. In 2007, when he was Minister for Foreign Affairs, he started the International Manga Award. This award is for manga artists who are not Japanese.
It was reported that he was seen reading the manga Rozen Maiden at Tokyo International Airport. This led to him being called "His Excellency Rozen." He has also said he is a fan of Golgo 13, a long-running manga about an assassin.
Images for kids
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Tarō Asō shakes hands with then Secretary of State of U.S. Condoleezza Rice at APEC summit in 2005
Honours
Brazil :
Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross (2 December 2020)
Peru :
Election History
Election | Age | District | Political party | Number of votes | election results |
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1979 Japanese general election | 39 | Fukuoka 2nd district | LDP | 71,041 | winning |
1980 Japanese general election | 39 | Fukuoka 2nd district | LDP | 85,826 | winning |
1983 Japanese general election | 43 | Fukuoka 2nd district | LDP | 75,412 | lost |
1986 Japanese general election | 45 | Fukuoka 2nd district | LDP | 134,179 | winning |
1990 Japanese general election | 49 | Fukuoka 2nd district | LDP | 99,876 | winning |
1993 Japanese general election | 52 | Fukuoka 2nd district | LDP | 101,080 | winning |
1996 Japanese general election | 56 | Fukuoka 8th district | LDP | 114,408 | winning |
2000 Japanese general election | 59 | Fukuoka 8th district | LDP | 120,178 | winning |
2003 Japanese general election | 63 | Fukuoka 8th district | LDP | 132,646 | winning |
2005 Japanese general election | 64 | Fukuoka 8th district | LDP | 145,229 | winning |
2009 Japanese general election | 68 | Fukuoka 8th district | LDP | 165,327 | winning |
2012 Japanese general election | 72 | Fukuoka 8th district | LDP | 146,712 | winning |
2014 Japanese general election | 74 | Fukuoka 8th district | LDP | 126,684 | winning |
2017 Japanese general election | 77 | Fukuoka 8th district | LDP | 135,334 | winning |
2021 Japanese general election | 81 | Fukuoka 8th district | LDP | 104,924 | winning |
2024 Japanese general election | 84 | Fukuoka 8th district | LDP | 92,534 | winning |
See also
In Spanish: Tarō Asō para niños