In this Japanese name, the surname is Asō. The baptismal name is Francisco.

Tarō Asō
麻生 太郎
Official portrait, 2017
Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party
Assumed office
8 October 2021
PresidentFumio Kishida
Secretary-GeneralAkira Amari
Toshimitsu Motegi
Preceded byMasahiko Kōmura
Deputy Prime Minister of Japan
In office
26 December 2012 – 4 October 2021
Prime MinisterShinzo Abe
Yoshihide Suga
Preceded byKatsuya Okada
Succeeded byVacant
75th Minister of Finance
In office
26 December 2012 – 4 October 2021
Prime MinisterShinzo Abe
Yoshihide Suga
Preceded byKoriki Jojima
Succeeded byShunichi Suzuki
Prime Minister of Japan
In office
24 September 2008 – 16 September 2009
MonarchAkihito
Preceded byYasuo Fukuda
Succeeded byYukio Hatoyama
Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office
31 October 2005 – 27 August 2007
Prime MinisterJunichiro Koizumi
Shinzo Abe
Preceded byNobutaka Machimura
Succeeded byNobutaka Machimura
Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications
In office
22 September 2003 – 31 October 2005
Prime MinisterJunichiro Koizumi
Preceded byToranosuke Katayama
Succeeded byHeizō Takenaka
Member of the House of Representatives
from Fukuoka
Assumed office
8 July 1986
Preceded byShinnen Tagaya
ConstituencyFukuoka 2nd district (1986–1996)
Fukuoka 8th district (1996–present)
In office
7 October 1979 – 28 November 1983
Preceded byAsao Mihara
Succeeded byToshio Ohashi
ConstituencyFukuoka 2nd district
Personal details
Born (1940-09-20) 20 September 1940
Iizuka, Fukuoka, Empire of Japan
Political partyLiberal Democratic Party (Shikōkai)
SpouseChikako Suzuki
Children2
RelativesShigeru Yoshida (grandfather)
Nobuko, Princess Tomohito of Mikasa (sister)
Princess Akiko (niece)
Princess Yōko (niece)
Ken'ichi Yoshida (uncle)
EducationGakushuin University
Stanford University (dropped out)
London School of Economics
WebsiteOfficial website

Tarō Asō (麻生 太郎, Asō Tarō, born 20 September 1940) is a Japanese politician serving as the Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since 2021. Asō previously served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2008 to 2009 and as Deputy Prime Minister of Japan and Minister of Finance from 2012 to 2021. He was the longest-serving Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in Japanese history, having previously served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2007 and as Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications from 2003 to 2005. He leads the Shikōkai faction within the LDP.[1]

Asō was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1979. He served in numerous ministerial roles before becoming Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 2008, having also held that role temporarily in 2007.[2] He was later elected LDP President in September 2008, becoming Prime Minister the same month.[2] He led the LDP to the worst election result in its history a year later, marking only the second time in post-war Japan that a governing party had lost re-election, and resigned as the President of the party immediately afterwards. After the LDP returned to government following the 2012 election under Shinzo Abe, Asō was appointed to the Cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, retaining those roles when Yoshihide Suga replaced Abe in 2020.[3] After Fumio Kishida was appointed Prime Minister in October 2021, Asō was moved to the role of Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party.[4]

Asō has been attached to a number of controversies in his career. He conceded in 2008 that his family had benefitted from forced labor during World War II, although he has refused to apologize for it. Asō also had a reputation for political gaffes and controversial remarks.[5] He praised the Nazi Party for being able to stealthily modify the German constitution without alerting the general public, and once said "Hitler, who killed millions of people, was no good even if his motive was right". He later retracted the latter remark.[6][5]

Early life and education

Asō, a Catholic, was born in Iizuka in Fukuoka Prefecture on 20 September 1940.[7] His father, Takakichi Asō, was the chairman of the Aso Cement Company and a close associate of Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka; his mother Kazuko Asō was Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida's daughter. Tarō is also a great-great-grandson of Ōkubo Toshimichi, one of the Three Great Nobles regarded as the main founders of modern Japan. His younger sister, Nobuko, Princess Tomohito of Mikasa, is a cousin-in-law of Emperor Emeritus Akihito. His wife, Chikako, is the third daughter of Prime Minister Zenkō Suzuki.[8]

Asō graduated from the Faculty of Politics and Economics at Gakushuin University,[9] and he later attended Stanford University and the London School of Economics, though he dropped out of Stanford at the request of his Anglophile grandfather Shigeru Yoshida on account of his "lousy Californian accent."[10] Asō initially took the examination at Sankei Shimbun, a newspaper company ran by Mizuno Shigeo, a friend of his father's, but chose to study abroad instead.[11]

Career

After he returned to Japan from his studies abroad, he entered the Aso Industry Company in 1966.[12] Working for the company, he lived in Brazil during the 1960s and became fluent in Portuguese.[13]

For two years from 1970, he worked in the diamond mining industry in Sierra Leone as a local representative of the Asō family at a new mining area offered by a local authority after the nationalization of the diamond industry in the country. He was forced to return to Japan at the outbreak of civil unrest in the country.[14][15]

He served as president of the Aso Mining Company from 1973 to 1979. He was also a member of the Japanese shooting team at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and President of the Japan Junior Chamber in 1978.

Political career

Asō is affiliated with the openly historical negationist organization Nippon Kaigi.[16]

Cabinet Minister

He joined the Cabinet of Jun'ichirō Koizumi in 2003 as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications. On 31 October 2005, he became Minister for Foreign Affairs. There has been some speculation that his position in the Cabinet was due to his membership in the Kōno Group, an LDP caucus led by pro-Chinese lawmaker Yōhei Kōno: by appointing Asō as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Koizumi may have been attempting to "rein in" Kōno's statements critical of Japanese foreign policy.[17]

Candidate for the LDP Leadership

Asō was one of the final candidates to replace Koizumi as prime minister in 2006, but lost the internal party election to Shinzo Abe by a wide margin. Both Abe and Asō are conservative on foreign policy issues and have taken confrontational stances towards some East Asian nations, particularly North Korea and, to a lesser extent, the People's Republic of China. Abe was considered a more "moderate" politician than the more "hard-line" Asō, and led Asō in opinion polling within Japan.[18] Asō's views on multilateralism are suggested in a 2006 speech, "Arc of Freedom and Prosperity: Japan's Expanding Diplomatic Horizons".[19]

Asō acknowledged that he would most likely lose to Fukuda, but said that he wanted to run so that there would be an open election, saying that otherwise LDP would face criticism for making its choice "through back-room deals".[20] In the President election, held on 23 September, Fukuda defeated Asō, receiving 330 votes against 197 votes for Asō.[21][22]

On 1 August 2008, Fukuda appointed Asō as Secretary-General of LDP, a move that solidified Asō's position as the number two-man in the party.[23]

Prime Minister of Japan

Unexpectedly on 1 September 2008, Fukuda announced his resignation as Prime Minister.[24] Five LDP members including Asō ran for new party President to succeed Fukuda. On 21 September, one day before votes of Diet party members, Asō reportedly told a crowd of supporters outside Tokyo: "The greatest concern right now is the economy." "America is facing a financial crisis ... we must not allow that to bring us down as well."[25] Finally on 22 September, Asō did win. He was elected as President of LDP with 351 of 525 votes (217 from 384 Diet party members, 134 from 47 prefecture branches); Kaoru Yosano, Yuriko Koike, Nobuteru Ishihara, Shigeru Ishiba got 66, 46, 37, 25 votes respectively.[26][27][28]

Two days later on 24 September, Asō was designated by the Diet as Prime Minister, and was formally appointed to the office by the Emperor on that night. In the House of Representatives (lower house), he garnered 337 out of 478 votes cast; in the House of Councillors (upper house), Ichirō Ozawa, President[29] of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, was named through two times of ballots.[30][31] Because no agreement was reached at a joint committee of both Houses, the resolution of the House of Representatives became the resolution of the Diet, as is stipulated in the Constitution.[31][32] Asō reportedly said, "If you look at the current period, it's not a stable one." and "These are turbulent times with the financial situation and everything else."[33]

Tarō Asō meeting Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on 18 February 2009.
Tarō Asō meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush in the White House on 14 November 2008.
Tarō Asō meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in the White House on 24 February 2009.
Tarō Asō meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Tokyo on 12 May 2009.

Later on the same day as his election as Prime Minister, Asō personally announced his new Cabinet (this is normally done by the Chief Cabinet Secretary). His Cabinet was markedly different from the preceding Cabinet under Fukuda. Five of its members had never previously served in the Cabinet, and one of them, 34-year-old Yūko Obuchi, was the youngest member of the Cabinet in the post-war era.[34]

Prime Minister Asō flew to Washington to meet with United States President Barack Obama in February 2009. He was the first foreign leader to visit the Obama White House; however, reports suggested that the new administration was interested less in giving Asō a political boost than in sending a message that Japan continues to be an important ally and partner[35] – a low-risk, high-payoff gesture for both Asō and Obama.[36]

After his election as prime minister Asō was expected to dissolve the lower house to clear the way for a general election.[37] But he repeatedly stressed the need for a functioning government to face the economic crisis and ruled out an early election.[38] Only after passage of the extra budget for fiscal 2009 in May and facing internal pressure from the LDP after a series of defeats in regional elections – most notably the Tokyo prefectural election on 12 July – he decided to announce a general election for 30 August 2009.[39] He dissolved the House of Representatives on 21 July 2009.[40] The LDP lost by a landslide to the Democratic Party of Japan, in the face of record levels of post-war unemployment. Accepting responsibility for the worst (and second-only) defeat of a sitting government in modern Japanese history, Asō immediately resigned as LDP president.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

When Shinzo Abe returned to the Prime Minister's office in December 2012, Aso is appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. He is the first former Japanese Prime Minister to subsequently serve as Deputy Prime Minister. Following Shinzo Abe's second resignation as Prime Minister in August 2020 due to a resurgence of ulcerative colitis, many speculated Aso would launch a leadership bid. He took many people aback when he announced that he would not seek the post. Aso maintained his position as Deputy Prime Minister under Abe's successor Yoshihide Suga, until Suga himself resigned in September 2021 and was succeeded by Fumio Kishida. Aso became the Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party under the new LDP leader and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Controversial statements

In 2001, as Minister of Finance, he was quoted as saying he wanted to make Japan a country where "rich Jews" would like to live.[41][5]

On 15 October 2005, during the opening ceremony of the Kyushu National Museum which also displays how other Asian cultures have influenced Japanese cultural heritage, he praised Japan for having "one culture, one civilization, one language, and one ethnic group", and stated that it was the only such country in the world. This statement sparked controversy for what critics described as invoking Japan's imperialist and racist past.[42]

At a lecture in Nagasaki Prefecture, Asō referred to a Japanese peace initiative on the Middle East, stating, "The Japanese were trusted because they had never been involved in exploitation there, or been involved in fights or fired machine guns. Japan is doing what the Americans can't do. It would probably be no good to have blue eyes and blond hair. Luckily, we Japanese have yellow faces."[41]

Kyodo News reported that he had said on 4 February 2006, "our predecessors did a good thing" regarding compulsory education implemented during Japan's colonization of Taiwan.[43][5]

Tarō Asō shakes hands with then Secretary of State of U.S. Condoleezza Rice at APEC summit in 2005

On 21 December 2005, he said China was "a neighbour with one billion people equipped with nuclear bombs and has expanded its military outlays by double digits for 17 years in a row, and it is unclear as to what this is being used for. It is beginning to be a considerable threat".[44] On 28 January 2006, he called for the emperor to visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine. He later backtracked on the comment, but stated that he hoped such a visit would be possible in the future.[45][5]

Mainichi Daily News reported that on 9 March 2006 he referred to Taiwan as a "law-abiding country", which drew strong protest from Beijing, which considers the island a part of China.[46]

On 23 September 2008, Akahata, the daily newspaper published by Japanese Communist Party, released a compiled list of these and other statements as the front-page article criticizing Asō.[47] This compilation as well as similar lists of blunders have been frequently cited in the Japanese media.

Yahoo! News reported that he had said on 9 January 2009, "To work is good. It's completely different thinking from the Old Testament."[48]

While speaking at a meeting of the National Council on Social Security Reform, in 2013, Asō referred to patients with serious illness as "tube persons" and remarked that they should be "allowed to die quickly" if they desired it. "Heaven forbid I should be kept alive if I want to die", he is quoted as saying. "You cannot sleep well when you think it's all paid by the government. This won't be solved unless you let them hurry up and die."[49][50]

In 2014, while campaigning in Sapporo for the general election, Asō said that rising social welfare costs were not solely due to an aging population. He said, "There are many people who are creating the image that (the increasing number of) elderly people is bad, but more problematic is people who don't give birth". The comment was labeled as insensitive to those who are not able to have children for biological or economic reasons.[51]

The Guardian reported on 30 August 2017, that he said, "Hitler, who killed millions of people, was no good even if his motive was right." He later retracted the remarks.[6] On another occasion, he praised how the Nazi Party was able to stealthily and quickly change the constitution without alerting the general public.[5]

According to The Japan Times, Asō "raised eyebrows" in June 2018 when he stated that the large support towards the LDP among voters under 35 in the 2017 general election was due to that demographic being less inclined than older Japanese to read newspapers, which had been critical of Abe's handling of cronyism scandals.[52]

In May 2018, Asō downplayed alleged sexual harassment charges against his ministry's top bureaucrat by saying that "there is no such thing as a sexual harassment charge."[53] When asked to comment on a formal complaint submitted to his ministry on the alleged sexual harassment, Asō remarked that his "only thought was that it would have been easier to read if they used a bigger font."[54]

In October 2021, during Asō's speech for an LDP candidate in Otaru said that Hokkaido rice "has become tastier thanks to (global) warming," also adding that the rice "used to be unsalable" but now tastier and even exported "because of higher temperatures." Additionally he made the statement that people often associate global warming and the warmer temperature it brings with it as a negative but that there can be "something good" that can come out of it.[55]

Aso Mining forced labor controversy

Malnourished Australian POWs forced to work at the Aso mining company, photographed in August 1945.

In mid-2008 Asō conceded that his family's coal mine, Aso Mining Company, was alleged to have forced Allied prisoners of war to work in the mines in 1945 without pay. Western media reported that 300 prisoners, including 197 Australians, 101 British, and two Dutch, worked in the mine. Two of the Australians, John Watson and Leslie Edgar George Wilkie, died while working in the Aso mine.[56] In addition, 10,000 Korean conscripts worked in the mine between 1939 and 1945 under severe, brutal conditions in which many of them died or were injured while receiving little pay. The company, now known as the Aso Group, is run by Asō's younger brother. Asō's wife serves on its board of directors. Asō headed the company in the 1970s before going into politics.[57]

Acting on a request from Yukihisa Fujita, the Foreign Ministry investigated and announced on 18 December 2008 that Aso Mining had, in fact, used 300 Allied POWs at its mine during World War II. The ministry confirmed that two Australians had died while working at the mine, but declined to release their names or causes of deaths for "privacy reasons". Said Fujita, "Prisoner policy is important in many ways for diplomacy, and it is a major problem that the issue has been neglected for so long."[58] Asō has not responded to requests from former laborers to apologize for the way they were treated by his family's company.[59]

Reading mistakes

The Japanese media noted in November 2008 that Asō often mispronounced or incorrectly read kanji words written in his speeches, even though many of the words are commonly used in Japanese.[60] Asō spoke of the speaking errors to reporters on 12 November 2008 saying, "Those were just reading errors, just mistakes."[61] Asō's tendency for malapropisms has led comparisons to George W. Bush (see Bushism), and the use of his name, "Tarō" as a schoolyard taunt for unintelligent children.[62]

An anatomy professor from the University of Tokyo, Takeshi Yoro, speculated that Asō could possibly have dyslexia.[63]

Nonaka incident

In 2001, Asō, along with Hiromu Nonaka, was among the LDP's chief candidates to succeed Yoshirō Mori as prime minister of Japan. During a meeting of LDP leaders at which Nonaka was not present, Asō reportedly told the assembled group, "We are not going to let someone from the buraku become the prime minister, are we?" Asō's remark was apparently a reference to Nonaka's burakumin, a social minority group in Japan, heritage.[64]

Nonaka subsequently withdrew as a candidate. Asō eventually lost the appointment to Jun'ichirō Koizumi. Asō's comment about Nonaka's heritage was revealed in 2005. Asō denied that he had made the statement, but Hisaoki Kamei, who was present at the 2001 meeting, stated in January 2009 that he had heard Asō say something, "to that effect". Nonaka said that he would "never forgive" Asō for the comment and went on to state that Asō was a "misery" to Japan.[64]

Personal life

Asō is married to Chikako Suzuki, who currently serves as the director of the Asō Group and is the daughter of former Prime Minister Zenkō Suzuki.[65] The couple got married in 1983 and they have 2 children, namely Masahiro and Ayako. Masahiro served as the Niwango, the company behind the video-sharing service website Niconico in 2005 before being absorbed by Dwango in 2015.[66] Asō is also the elder brother of Nobuko, Princess Tomohito of Mikasa and serves as the uncle of Princess Akiko of Mikasa and Princess Yōko of Mikasa.

Fondness for fine dining

In October 2008, the Japanese media reported that Asō dined out or drank in restaurants and bars in luxury hotels almost nightly. When asked about it, Asō stated, "I won't change my style. Luckily I have my money and can afford it." Asō added that if he went anywhere else, he would have to be accompanied by security guards which would cause trouble.[67]

According to the Asahi Shimbun, Asō dined out or drank at bars 32 times in September 2008, mainly at exclusive hotels. Asō's predecessor, Yasuo Fukuda, dined out only seven times in his first month in office. Both of the LDP's opposition parties have called Asō's frequent outings inappropriate. Asō's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Jun Matsumoto, commented on the issue by saying that Asō's frequent trips to restaurants "is his lifestyle and philosophy, and I am not in a position to express my opinion. If only there were more appropriate places when considering security issues and not causing trouble for other customers."[68]

Net worth

According to The Japan Times in 2022, Tarō Asō is the wealthiest member of Japan's National Diet.[69] While Taro Aso's exact net worth is unknown it is estimated that his net worth is $5 billion US Dollars. This would make him not just one of the wealthiest politicians in Japan but one of the wealthiest politicians in the world. 80% of his estimated wealth is inherited while 20% of his estimated wealth has been earned by him.

Manga

Asō argues that embracing Japanese pop culture can be an important step to cultivating ties with other countries, hoping that manga will act as a bridge to the world.[70] He is referred to as an otaku.[71]

Asō has been a fan of manga since childhood. He had his family send manga magazines from Japan while he was studying at Stanford University.[72] In 2003, he described reading about 10 or 20 manga magazines every week (making up only part of Asō's voracious reading) and talked about his impression of various manga extemporaneously.[72] In 2007, as Minister for Foreign Affairs, he established the International Manga Award for non-Japanese manga artists.[73]

It was reported that he was seen reading the manga Rozen Maiden in Tokyo International Airport, which earned him the sobriquet "His Excellency Rozen".[74] He admitted in an interview that he had read the manga; however, he said he did not remember whether he had read it in an airport.[75] He is a fan of Golgo 13, a long-running manga about an assassin for hire.[3]

Asō's candidacy for the position of Japanese Prime Minister actually caused share-value to rise among some manga publishers and companies related to the manga industry.[70]

Family tree

Toshimichi ŌkuboMichitsune Mishima
Nobuaki MakinoMinekoTakichi Asō
YukikoShigeru YoshidaTarō Asō
Ken'ichi YoshidaKazukoTakakichi AsōZenkō Suzuki
Prince TomohitoPrincess NobukoTarō AsōChikakoShun'ichi Suzuki
Princess AkikoPrincess Yōko

Ancestry

Incorporates information from the Japanese Wikipedia article

Asō is a patrilineal descendant of the Asō clan and is maternally descended from Ōkubo Toshimichi through his son Count Makino Nobuaki. Through his paternal grandmother the Hon. Kanō Natsuko, he descends from the Tachibana clan of the Miike Domain and from a cadet branch of the Ōkubo clan, who ruled the Odawara Domain.[76]

Honours

Bibliography

  • Takashi Hirose (広瀬隆); 『私物国家 日本の黒幕の系図』 Tokyo:Kobunsha (1997) Genealogy14
  • Aso, Taro (2007). 自由と繁栄の弧. Tokyo: Gentosha. ISBN 978-4-344-41197-5.
  • Aso, Taro (2007). とてつもない日本. Tokyo: Shinchosha. ISBN 978-4-10-610217-2.

References

  1. ↑ "The cabals Japan's prime minister has tried to curb may curb him". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Official English Translations for LDP Officials and Party Organs", Liberal Democratic Party. Archived 28 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  3. 1 2 Daily Yomiuri 28 December 2012
  4. ↑ "ASO Taro | Liberal Democratic Party of Japan". www.jimin.jp. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Large and in Charge: Who is Taro Aso?". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  6. 1 2 McCurry, Justin (30 August 2017). "Japanese minister Taro Aso praises Hitler, saying he had 'right motives'". The Guardian – via theguardian.com.
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  11. ↑ Yamamoto, Yasuo; 山本泰夫. (2006). Katō yoshirō no mappira jinsei. Sankeishinbunshuppan. p. 225. ISBN 4-902970-73-2. OCLC 170038264.
  12. ↑ "麻生太郎外務大臣に聞く＝日伯関係、百周年、デカセギ＝本紙が単独インタビュー". Nikkey Shimbun. 17 August 2007. Archived from the original on 23 November 2008. Retrieved 23 November 2008.
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  16. ↑ "Abe's reshuffle promotes right-wingers" - Korea Joongang Daily - 2014/09/05
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  25. ↑ Joseph Coleman, "Japan ruling party turns to brash Aso", The Associated Press, 22 September 2008.
  26. ↑ "党のあゆみ・総裁選挙", Liberal Democratic Party. (in Japanese) Archived 29 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
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  29. ↑ "About us", The Democratic Party of Japan.
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  31. 1 2 5TH LD: Aso elected Japan's prime minister, to form Cabinet, Kyodo News International (24 September 2008).
  32. ↑ "The Constitution of Japan" Archived 14 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Translation (presumably of non-official) available on the Cabinet PR site.
  33. ↑ "Japan ruling party leader elected prime minister", from The Associated Press on The Washington Post, 24 September 2008.
  34. ↑ "Aso elected premier / Announces Cabinet lineup himself; poll likely on Nov. 2", The Yomiuri Shimbun, 25 September 2005.
  35. ↑ Klug, Foster. "Obama to meet with Japan Prime Minister Tara Aso," Associated Press. 24 February 2009; Fackler, Martin. "Japan's Ruling Party Faces Political Extinction," New York Times. 19 February 2009; Landler, Mark and Martin Fackler. 'Clinton Offers Words of Reassurance While in Japan," New York Times. 17 February 2009; Archived 27 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  36. ↑ Harden, Blaine. "Japan's Beleaguered Leader to See Obama," The Washington Post. 24 February 2009.
  37. ↑ "Taro Aso confirmed as Japan's PM". BBC News. 24 September 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  38. ↑ "Aso again says no election soon. Dealing with economic crisis takes priority". The Japan Times. 16 March 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  39. ↑ "Japan's PM Aso calls August vote". BBC News. 13 July 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  40. ↑ "Lower house dissolved for general election. Aso says seeks 'a mandate from the public'". The Japan Times. 21 July 2009. Archived from the original on 24 July 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  41. 1 2 McCurry, Justin (23 March 2007). "Blue eyes, blond hair: that's US problem, says Japanese minister". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
  42. ↑ Christopher Reed, "Ghosts of Wartime Japan Haunt Koizumi's Cabinet" Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, New America Media, 3 November 2005.
  43. ↑ Kyodo, "Taiwan colonization was 'good': Aso", The Japan Times Online, 5 February 2006.
  44. ↑ "Japan alarmed by Chinese 'threat'", BBC, 22 December 2005.
  45. ↑ Kyodo,"Aso rapped for emperor shrine visit remark", CHINAdaily.com.cn, 29 January 2006.
  46. ↑ "MDN.mainichi-msn.co.jp".
  47. ↑ "新総裁 麻生氏 発言録", しんぶん赤旗, Japanese Communist Party, 13 September 2008.
  48. ↑ Yahoo, "World religions can learn from Japan: PM", Yahoo!News, 9 January 2009.
  49. ↑ "Japanese deputy PM sorry for harsh remarks about seniors." Ottawa Citizen. (23 January 2013 Wednesday ): 174 words. Web. Date Accessed: 2017/10/30.
  50. ↑ McCurry, Justin (22 January 2013). "Let elderly people 'hurry up and die', says Japanese minister". The Guardian. Tokyo. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  51. ↑ "Gaffe-prone Taro Aso puts his foot in it again." China Daily. (9 December 2014 Tuesday ): 260 words. Web. Date Accessed: 2017/10/30.
  52. ↑ "In media jab, beleaguered Finance Minister Taro Aso ties lack of young newspaper readers to LDP's 'popularity'". The Japan Times. 24 June 2018.
  53. ↑ "Taro Aso repeats comment on alleged sexual harassment that sparked nationwide protest one day earlier". The Japan Times Online. 8 May 2018. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  54. ↑ "Japanese Official Says Font Size on Sexual Harassment Complaint Was Too Small". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  55. ↑ "Former Japanese prime minister says global warming has made rice "tastier"". Newsweek. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  56. ↑ Underwood, William, "Aso Mining's POW labor: the evidence", Japan Times, 29 May 2007.
  57. ↑ Underwood, William, "WWII forced labor issue dogs Aso, Japanese firms", Japan Times, 28 October 2008, p. 16.
  58. ↑ Ito, Masami, "It's official: Aso family mine used POW labor", Japan Times, 19 December 2008, p. 1.
  59. ↑ "Ito, Masami, "Pair seek POW apology from Aso", Japan Times, 20 June 2009, p. 2.
  60. ↑ Reuters "Japan PM Faces Reading Test As Popularity Sags Archived 1 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine", "Javno", 20 January 2009.
  61. ↑ Hongo, Jun, "Aso raises eyebrows with nonwords and wrong words", Japan Times, 14 November 2008.
  62. ↑ "Bumbling Taro Aso becomes Japans answer to George Bush". The Times. London. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  63. ↑ 誤読連発の麻生は「読字障害」？ 養老孟司氏が分析 Archived 30 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  64. 1 2 Yamaguchi, Mari, "Discrimination claims die hard in Japan", Japan Times, 25 January 2009, p. 2.
  65. ↑ "Chikako Aso, Aso Corp: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg.com.
  66. ↑ "「ニコ動」と麻生のできすぎる息子". FACTA ONLINE (in Japanese).
  67. ↑ Kyodo News, "Aso gets riled when quizzed over swanky wining, dining", reported in the Japan Times, 23 October 2008, p. 2.
  68. ↑ Ito, Masami, "Aso defends his high-flying social life," Japan Times, 24 October 2008, p. 2.
  69. ↑ "LDP power broker Taro Aso's fortunes begin to fade". The Japan Times. 3 March 2022.
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  71. ↑ "「御宅族」行「漫畫外交」受年輕人追捧 ("Otaku"'s "Manga diplomacy" celebrated by youngsters)". Wenweipo. 23 September 2008. Archived from the original on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  72. 1 2 "麻生太郎 コミックを語る (Taro Aso talks about comics)". Big Comic Original (in Japanese). Shogakukan (original publisher), Aso Taro Office (copy). 2 July 2003. Archived from the original on 11 December 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
  73. ↑ "International Manga Award". The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
    "Speech by Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso at Digital Hollywood University". Retrieved 12 September 2007.
    "Japan Launches International Manga Award". Retrieved 12 September 2007.
  74. ↑ Nakajima, Makoto. (2008). The Akiba: A Manga Guide to Akihabara, p. 25.
  75. ↑ "麻生太郎「直撃! ローゼンメイデン疑惑?」 (Rozen Maiden suspicion: Interview with Aso Taro)". Mechabi Vol. 1 (in Japanese). Kodansha. 2 June 2006. ISBN 978-4-06-179591-4. Archived from the original on 5 August 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2007.;Taro Aso (June 2007). 自由と繁栄の弧 (in Japanese). Gentosha. pp. 296–305. ISBN 978-4-344-01333-9.
  76. ↑ "高木氏 (Kanō genealogy)". Reichsarchiv (in Japanese). 8 June 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
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