Originally a lawyer and close ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Ms. Tomomi Inada became the second woman to hold the position of Japanese Defense Minister.
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| On August 3, Ms. Tomomi Inada was appointed as the head of the Ministry of Defense, becoming the second woman in Japan to hold this position. The first person to hold this role was Ms. Yuriko Koike, appointed in 2007. Photo: Reuters. |
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| Japan's new Defense Minister Tomomi Inada arrives at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office. Photo: Reuters Ms. Inada, 57, is married with two children. Graduated from Waseda University in 1981 and became a lawyer in 1985, she became a member of parliament in 2005 and was the head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) policy committee from 2012 until September 2014, according to Alchetron. |
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Ms. Inada and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Photo: IPC.
She shares Mr Abe’s views on postwar reform and revising the pacifist constitution. Like Mr Abe, Ms Inada is deeply concerned about the threat posed by North Korea’s missile launches. |
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| Japan's new Defense Minister speaks to reporters in Tokyo on August 3. Photo: Reuters. |
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| China's state-run CCTV has reacted negatively to Tomomi Inada's appointment as Japan's defense minister, calling her a "typical right-wing politician," noting her repeated visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine and her calls to revise Japan's pacifist constitution and strengthen its military. Photo: AP. The Yasukuni Shrine is a site that China and South Korea see as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. |
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| Ms. Inada is one of three Japanese lawmakers who were denied entry to South Korea in 2011 because they planned to visit the disputed Dokdo/Takeshima islands. Photo: Reuters. |
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| Observers say Japan's new defense minister will face many challenges in easing regional tensions, including relations with neighboring countries such as China and South Korea. Photo: Reuters. |
According to VNE
