Takeo Hiranuma

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Takeo Hiranuma (平沼赳夫 Hiranuma Takeo, born 3 August 1939 in Shinjuku, Tokyo) is a Japanese politician.

[edit] Basic Biography

Takeo Hiranuma was adopted by his grandfather's younger brother, Kiichiro Hiranuma, after Takeo's father was killed in World War II. Kiichiro Hiranuma was Prime Minister of Japan until 30 August 1939, and, although married, had no biological children.

Hiranuma attended Keio University and worked in the private sector for eleven years until moving to served as an aide for Ichiro Nakagawa and Eisaku Sato. He then ran for a seat in the House of Representatives twice and failed, until he was finally elected in 1980 as a member of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party.

[edit] Political career

Hiranuma served as Vice Minister for the Ministry of Finance in 1987 and Minister of Transport in 1995.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi appointed him as Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry in 2001, but fired him when in August 2005 when Hiranuma refused to support the Prime Minister's plans to privatize Japan Post. He was not endorsed by the Liberal Democratic Party in the 11 September 2005 election, but he was nonetheless reelected.

His political career is uncertain.

On February 1, 2006, he invoked controversy by arguing against the proposed imperial reform bill on the grounds that Princess Aiko could potentially marry and have children with a "blue-eyed foreigner" in the future [1].