Jin Matsubara
Jin Matsubara (松原 仁 Matsubara Jin, born July 31, 1956) is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature).
Political career
A native of Itabashi, Tokyo and graduate of Waseda University, he was elected to the assembly of Tokyo in 1989, and then to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2000.
In the first cabinet reshuffle of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on January 13, 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 October 1, 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
Matsubara is married with three children.[3]
Views on Second World War
He was a supporter of right-wing filmmaker Satoru Mizushima's 2007 revisionist film The Truth about Nanjing, which denied that the Nanking Massacre ever occurred.[4]
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.[5]
On Monday August 27, 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."[6]
Visits to Yasukuni shrine
On August 15, 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 August 15 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,[7] and despite Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda requesting his cabinet not to do so.[8]
References
- ↑ Consumer Affairs Agency website Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety Jin MATSUBARA Retrieved on August 14, 2012
- ↑ The Japan Times Noda shakes up Cabinet third time October 2, 2012 Retrieved on October 2, 2012
- ↑ Consumer Affairs Agency website Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety Jin MATSUBARA Retrieved on August 14, 2012
- ↑ The Japan Times NANJING MASSACRE 70TH ANNIVERSARY December 6, 2007 Retrieved on August 21, 2012
- ↑ Time Magazine Japan's China Weapons Cleanup Hits a Snag March 31 2008 Retrieved on August 14, 2012
- ↑ The Daily Yomiuri Noda: Isles, comfort women not linked August 28, 2012 Retrieved on August 28, 2012
- ↑ AsiaOne News Japanese cabinet minister visits Yasukuni Shrine August 15, 2012 Retrieved on August 15, 2012
- ↑ Stuff Japanese cabinet member makes controversial homage August 15, 2012 Retrieved on August 15, 2012
External links
- Official website in Japanese.
| House of Representatives of Japan | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by (17 Representatives) |
Representative for the Tokyo PR block 2012–present 2005–2009 |
Incumbent |
| Succeeded by (17 Representatives) | ||
| Preceded by Hirotaka Ishihara |
Representative for Tokyo 3rd district 2009–2012 |
Succeeded by Hirotaka Ishihara |
| Preceded by Shinichirō Kurimoto |
Representative for Tokyo 3rd district 2000–2005 | |