Jin Matsubara (松原 仁, Matsubara Jin, born 31 July 1956) is a Japanese politician. He is a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). He was appointed Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety and Minister for the Abduction Issue. Matsubara was formerly affiliated with Party of Hope and the Democratic Party (the Democratic Party of Japan).
Jin Matsubara | |
|---|---|
松原仁 | |
 | |
| Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission and Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety | |
| In office 13 January 2012 – 1 October 2012 | |
| Monarch | Akihito |
| Prime Minister | Yoshihiko Noda |
| Succeeded by | Tadamasa Kodaira |
| Minister for the Abduction Issue | |
| In office 13 January 2012 – 1 October 2012 | |
| Monarch | Akihito |
| Prime Minister | Yoshihiko Noda |
| Succeeded by | Keishu Tanaka |
| Member of the House of Representatives for Tokyo Proportional | |
| Assumed office 16 December 2012 | |
| In office 11 September 2005 – 30 August 2009 | |
| Member of the House of Representatives for Tokyo 3rd district | |
| In office 25 June 2000 – 11 September 2005 | |
| In office 30 August 2009 – 16 December 2012 | |
| Member of Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly for Ota | |
| In office 1989–1996 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 松原仁 (Matsubara Jin) 31 July 1956 Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan |
| Political party | Independent (2023–present) |
| Other political affiliations | LDP (Before 1994) NFP (1994–96) Sun Party (1996–98) GGP (1998) DPJ (1998–2016) DP (2016–2017) Kibō (2017–2018) Group of Independents (2018–2019) Social Security CDP (2020–2023) |
| Alma mater | Waseda University |
| Website | Official Website |
Political career edit
In the first cabinet reshuffle of Democratic Party Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on 13 January 2012 he was appointed Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety and Minister for the Abduction Issue.[1] He left the cabinet on the 1 October 2012 cabinet reshuffle. Tadamasa Kodaira replaced him as Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission and Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety, and Keishu Tanaka took over as Minister for the Abduction Issue.[2]
Personal life edit
Matsubara is married with three children.[3] His oldest son Hajime Matsubara is a member of the Ota city assembly.[4]
Views on Second Sino-Japanese War and the Second World War edit
He was a supporter of right-wing filmmaker Satoru Mizushima's 2007 denialist film The Truth about Nanjing, which denied that the Nanjing Massacre ever occurred.[5] In 2014 he refused to retract his comments denying the massacre.[6]
During Diet discussions of Japanese government efforts to clean up chemical weapons abandoned in China at the end of the Second World War, Matsubara questioned the existence of such weapons.[7]
On Monday 27 August 2012 Matsubara told a House of Councillors budget committee meeting that he may propose to other ministers a review of the 1993 statement by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yōhei Kōno admitting the Imperial Japanese Army's role in establishing and running "comfort stations" for troops with forcibly recruited comfort women, because "no direct descriptions of forcible recruitment have been found in military and other Japanese official records obtained by the government."[8]
Visits to Yasukuni shrine edit
On 15 August 2012 Matsubara, along with Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Yuichiro Hata became the first cabinet ministers of the DPJ to openly visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on 15 August since the party came to power in 2009. Matsubara made his visit to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the end of World War II despite requests from South Korea to refrain from doing so,[9] and despite Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda requesting his cabinet not to do so.[10]
References edit
- ^ Consumer Affairs Agency website Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety Jin MATSUBARA Archived 9 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 14 August 2012
- ^ The Japan Times Noda shakes up Cabinet third time 2 October 2012 Retrieved on 2 October 2012
- ^ Consumer Affairs Agency website Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety Jin MATSUBARA Archived 9 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 14 August 2012
- ^ "Home". hajime-m.tokyo.
- ^ The Japan Times NANJING MASSACRE 70TH ANNIVERSARY 6 December 2007 Retrieved on 21 August 2012
- ^ Yoshida, Reiji DPJ exec’s denial of Nanjing stands: Matsubara refuses to retract contentious remark made in 2007 7 February 2014 The Japan Times Retrieved 29 March 2016
- ^ Time Magazine Japan's China Weapons Cleanup Hits a Snag 31 March 2008 Retrieved on 14 August 2012
- ^ The Daily Yomiuri Noda: Isles, comfort women not linked 28 August 2012 Retrieved on 28 August 2012
- ^ AsiaOne News Japanese cabinet minister visits Yasukuni Shrine 15 August 2012 Retrieved on 15 August 2012
- ^ Stuff Japanese cabinet member makes controversial homage 15 August 2012 Retrieved on 15 August 2012
External links edit
- Official website in Japanese.