Yasuo Ichikawa

Japanese politician (born 1942)
一川 保夫
Minister of DefenceIn office
2 September 2011 – 13 January 2012Prime MinisterYoshihiko NodaPreceded byToshimi KitazawaSucceeded byNaoki Tanaka Personal detailsBorn (1942-02-06) 6 February 1942 (age 82)
Komatsu, JapanPolitical partyLiberal Democratic Party→
Renewal Party→
New Frontier Party→
Liberal Party→
Democratic PartyAlma materMie University

Yasuo Ichikawa (一川 保夫, Ichikawa Yasuo, born February 6, 1942) is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature) and is the former Minister of Defence.

A native of Komatsu, Ishikawa and graduate of Mie University, he worked at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from 1965 to 1990, and had served in the assembly of Ishikawa Prefecture for two terms since 1991. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1996 as a member of the New Frontier Party by proportional representation – he failed to win the Ishikawa 2nd district from Liberal Democrat Yoshirō Mori four times in a row. After losing also his proportional seat in 2005, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 2007. In 2011, under Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's cabinet, he was selected as Minister of Defense[1]

In December 2011 he was the subject of a censure motion from the opposition LDP for failing to know the details of the 1995 rape where three US servicemen kidnapped and sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl. This followed his subordinate Satoshi Tanaka speaking with reporters in a bar and using euphemisms for sexual assault to discuss moving the US Futenma airbase. Tanaka was sacked as director of the Okinawa Defense Bureau,[2] and in the cabinet reshuffle of January 13, 2012 Ichikawa was replaced by Naoki Tanaka.[3]

Notes

  1. ^ Japan Times, "Cabinet Profiles: Noda Cabinet", 3 September 2011, p. 3.
  2. ^ The Japan Times Upper House censures ministers - Ichikawa, Yamaoka censured in Diet December 10, 2011 Retrieved on August 16, 2012
  3. ^ The Japan Times New Noda Cabinet on tax push January 14, 2012 Retrieved on August 16, 2012

References

  • 政治家情報 〜一川 保夫〜. JANJAN ザ･選挙 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2007-10-24.

External links

  • Official website in Japanese.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Defence
2011–2012 		Succeeded by
Naoki Tanaka
House of Councillors
Preceded by Councillor from Ishikawa
2007–2013 		Succeeded by
Shūji Yamada
House of Representatives of Japan
New creation Representative by proportional representation for Hokuriku-Shin'etsu
1996–2005 		Succeeded by
N/A