Name Shinji Tarutoko Succeeded by Yoshitaka Shindo Website Official website | Education Osaka University Role Politician | |
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Born 6 August 1959 (age 65) Mitoya, Shimane, Japan ( 1959-08-06 ) Political party Democratic Party of Japan Similar People Yoriko Madoka, Naoto Kan, Ichiro Ozawa, Kiyoshi Ueda, Morihiro Hosokawa |
Shinji Tarutoko (樽床 伸二, Tarutoko Shinji, born 6 August 1959) is a Japanese democratic politician.
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Early life and education
Tarutoko was born in Shimane Prefecture on 6 August 1959. He studied at the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management.
Career
Tarutoko was first elected to the House of Representatives in the 1993 election as a member of the defunct Japan New Party. Then he joined the Democratic Party of Japan in 1998.
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. However, he was defeated on a 291-129 vote. He was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on 1 October 2012.
He lost his seat in the 16 December 2012 general election and left office on 26 December 2012.