Japanese politician (born 1959)
Shinji Tarutoko (樽床 伸二, Tarutoko Shinji, born 6 August 1959) is a Japanese politician and former member of the House of Representatives.
Early life and education
Tarutoko was born in Shimane Prefecture on 6 August 1959. He studied at the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management.[1]
Career
Tarutoko was first elected to the House of Representatives in the 1993 election as a member of the defunct Japan New Party.[1] Then he joined the Democratic Party of Japan in 1998.[1]
In June 2010, he declared his intention to run against Naoto Kan for the leadership of the Democratic Party of Japan; had he won, he would have become the next Prime Minister of Japan.[2] However, he was defeated on a 291–129 vote.[3] He was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on 1 October 2012.[1]
He lost his seat in the 16 December 2012 general election to Tomokatsu Kitagawa, who he had defeated in the 2009 election.[4] Tarutoko challenged Kitagawa again in 2014, but failed. He became the top candidate on Kibō no Tō's Kinki proportional representation list in 2017 and was elected back to the House.[5]
Tarutoko resigned his seat on 28 January 2019 to contest the Osaka 12th district by-election, which was called after Kitagawa's death.[6]
References
House of Representatives (Japan)
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Preceded by
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Member of the House of Representatives from Osaka 7th district (multi-member) 1993–1996 Served alongside: Yutaka Fukushima, Masao Nakamura
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District eliminated
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New district
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Member of the House of Representatives from Osaka 12th district (single-member) 1996–2005
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Succeeded by
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Preceded by Tomokatsu Kitagawa
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Member of the House of Representatives from Osaka 12th district (single-member) 2009–2012
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Succeeded by Tomokatsu Kitagawa
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Preceded by 28-member district
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Member of the House of Representatives from the Kinki proportional block 2017–2019
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Succeeded by
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Preceded by
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Chairperson of the Committee on the Environment 2009–2010
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Succeeded by
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Preceded by
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Chairperson of the Committee on Fundamental National Policies 2010–2011
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Succeeded by
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Political offices
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Preceded by
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Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications 2012
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Succeeded by
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Party political offices
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Preceded by
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Chairman of the Democratic Party Diet Affairs Committee 2010
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Succeeded by
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New office
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Deputy Secretary General of the Democratic Party 2011–2012
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Succeeded by
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