Tomomi Inada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tomomi Inada
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稲田 朋美
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Inada in 2024
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| Minister of Defense | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 3 August 2016 – 28 July 2017 |
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| Prime Minister | Shinzo Abe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Gen Nakatani | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Fumio Kishida (acting) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of the House of Representatives from Fukui 1st district |
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| Assumed office 12 September 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Isao Matsumiya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Majority | 78,969 (50.00%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Tomomi Tsubakihara
20 February 1959 Echizen, Fukui, Japan |
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| Political party | Liberal Democratic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Ryuji Inada
(m. 1989) |
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| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Waseda University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tomomi Inada (稲田 朋美, Inada Tomomi, born 20 February 1959) is a Japanese lawyer and politician. She has been a member of the House of Representatives since September 2005. She represents the 1st Fukui Prefecture.
From August 2016 to July 2017, she served as the Minister of Defense. She resigned because of a situation involving records within the Japanese Ministry of Defense. She also led the Policy Research Council of the Liberal Democratic Party. This is a major political party in Japan. She was born in Fukui Prefecture.
Tomomi Inada has different views on certain historical events related to World War II. For example, she has expressed different opinions on the Nanjing Massacre compared to what is widely accepted internationally. She was also linked to a funding issue in 2023-2024 but said she was not responsible for it.
Contents
Tomomi Inada's Law Career
After finishing her studies at Waseda University in 1981, Tomomi Inada became a lawyer in 1985. She first worked with the Osaka Bar Association. Since 2008, she has been part of the Fukui Bar Association.
She worked on legal cases related to Yasukuni Shrine. She also represented people in lawsuits about historical events and figures from the Second Sino-Japanese War. She aimed to win these cases in court. However, her side lost a case at the Supreme Court of Japan. After this, she decided she wanted to become a politician.
Tomomi Inada's Political Journey
Starting in Politics: 2005
On August 15, 2005, Tomomi Inada was chosen as a candidate for the LDP. This happened after Shinzō Abe, who later became Prime Minister, noticed her. She ran in the general election on September 11, 2005. She was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time.
Re-election in 2009
The 45th Japanese general election took place on August 30, 2009. Inada was re-elected to the House of Representatives. She won with 50.0% of the votes. Her main opponent, Ryūzō Sasaki, received 45.6% of the votes.
Winning Again in 2012
The 46th Japanese general election was held on December 16, 2012. Inada's main opponent was Kōji Suzuki. Inada won this election with 52.6% of the votes. Kōji Suzuki received 22.9% of the votes.
Election Victory in 2014
The 47th Japanese general election happened on December 14, 2014. Inada was re-elected to the Diet. She won with 64.8% of the votes. Her main opponent, Kōji Suzuki, got 26.5% of the votes.
Her Time in Office
In the Diet, Tomomi Inada served on several committees. These included the judicial committee and a special committee for political ethics. From 2008 to 2008, she was also on the committee for General Affairs. In 2012, she became the Minister of State for Regulatory Reform. She held this position until September 2014.
Prime Minister Abe highly valued Inada. This was because her political and historical views were similar to his. Inada believes in the traditions of Shinto. In September 2014, Abe made her the Chairperson of the LDP Policy Research Council. This was a significant role, usually given to politicians with more experience.
Minister of Defense: 2016 to 2017
Becoming Defense Minister
On August 3, 2016, Prime Minister Abe appointed Tomomi Inada as Defense Minister. She had no military background. She was the first Defense Minister since Akinori Eto without prior military service. Inada was also the second woman to hold this position in Japan's history.
Her Time as Minister
On September 15, 2016, Inada met with American Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. This meeting took place in Washington, D.C. After their discussion, Inada announced that Japan's military would increase its activities in the South China Sea. They would also do more military drills with the United States. This was a big change in Japan's policy.
In December 2016, Inada visited the Yasukuni Shrine. This visit happened shortly after Prime Minister Abe met U.S. President Barack Obama in Hawaii. Abe had expressed sorrow for the casualties of the 1941 attack. Inada's visit, and a similar one by another minister, caused protests from China and South Korea.
On February 4, 2017, Inada met with the new United States Secretary of Defense James Mattis in Tokyo, Japan. They talked about North Korea and disputes in the South China Sea. Mattis confirmed the United States' commitment to defending Japan.
On May 1, 2017, Inada ordered the Maritime Self-Defense Force to protect a U.S. Navy ship. This was the first time Japan's navy had defended allied vessels since a change to the Japanese Constitution in 2016.
Before an election in Tokyo, Inada made a statement on June 27, 2017. She said that a certain candidate was supported by the Defense Ministry and the Self-Defense Forces. This comment caused controversy. It risked going against Japan's Constitution and election laws. It also went against rules for military personnel in politics. This led to strong criticism, and Prime Minister Abe had to apologize.
Her Resignation
In July 2017, Tomomi Inada resigned. This was due to claims that she helped hide records about the dangers faced by Japanese peacekeepers in South Sudan. It is not fully clear if she was directly involved in hiding the information. However, she was told by officials that daily logs had been deleted. She then told this to the public.
Later, digital copies of the documents were found. These were made public in February 2017. A handwritten note from an official suggested Inada knew about the logs but still said they were deleted. An investigation was done, but it could not confirm if Inada knew about the logs.
What's Next for Tomomi Inada
In April 2019, Inada announced her plan to run for prime minister in 2021. However, she did not end up running in the 2021 LDP Presidential election.
Tomomi Inada's Political Views
Views on History
Tomomi Inada is connected with the group Nippon Kaigi. This group has certain views on history. Inada believes that calling her political beliefs "right-wing" is not the best way to describe them.
Yasukuni Shrine Visits
Visits to Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese politicians are often debated. This is because the shrine honors some people who were considered war criminals. Japanese nationalists often visit the shrine. In 2006, Inada said that anyone who criticizes a Japanese Prime Minister's visit to Yasukuni Shrine might not care about the souls of dead Japanese soldiers. She also stated that Yasukuni Shrine is a place to promise to fight for Japan, not a place for peace.
Inada questioned why a 2007 film called Yasukuni received money from the Japanese government. She thought the film was politically biased. She argued that money should not be given to films that are politically biased.
Views on the Nanjing Massacre
Tomomi Inada has expressed different views on the Nanjing Massacre. She supported a film called The Truth about Nanjing, which questioned if the event happened. When Takashi Kawamura, the Mayor of Nagoya City, made similar statements, Inada agreed with him. She also criticized the Japan Teachers Union for teaching about the Nanjing Massacre in schools.
Views on Post-WWII Occupation
Inada has said that The International Military Tribunal for the Far East went against modern legal principles. She believes it was part of the Allied occupation of Japan after World War II. She thinks Japan should not accept historical views that focus on Japan's military actions in Asia. In 2015, she wanted to form a committee to check the truthfulness of the tribunal. She believes the Tokyo Trials changed the truth about Japan's role in the war.
Japanese Actions in World War II
In 2015, Prime Minister Abe was preparing a statement for the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. At that time, Inada said there was "no need to express the word like remorse." She also said, "stop continuing to apologize [to China and other Asian countries]." She felt that "military invasion is not appropriate word" to describe Japan's actions in Asian countries before the war ended.
LGBT Rights
In 2016, Tomomi Inada went against her party's usual stance on LGBT rights. She created a committee within her party to discuss these issues.
See also
In Spanish: Tomomi Inada para niños
- Koizumi Children
- Shinzō Abe
