Name Tadashi Inuzuka | Role Japanese Politician | |
 | ||
Education Rikkyo University, University of Dallas | ||
Tadashi Inuzuka (犬塚 直史, Inuzuka Tadashi, born September 28, 1954) is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a former Senator in the House of Councillors of the Diet (national legislature). A native of Tokyo, he graduated from Rikkyo University and received a master's degree from the University of Dallas in the United States. He was elected for the first time in 2004 from his Nagasaki constituency.
Contents
Early years
In 1977, Senator Inuzuka graduated from Rikkyo University in Tokyo, Japan where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Determined to learn English while continuing his studies, Inuzuka relocated to Dallas, Texas in 1978 and successfully earned an MBA at the University of Dallas Graduate School of Management in 1980. Living in Texas was an eye-opening experience for the 23-year-old Inuzuka. It was here that he first witnessed that through persistence, he could help others respect other cultures and this eventually became a focal point of interest during his political career (see political career). Before entering the political sphere, Inuzuka worked for the ALC publishing company. As an international publishing house, ALC provided Mr. Inuzuka with the opportunity to pursue his passion for literature, international affairs and business.To this day, writing remains a great passion and in June 2010, he published his first book 脱主権国家への挑戦 about his political experience and policy.
Career
Inuzuka, an entrepreneur at heart, set out on his own and formed his own real estate company, Ewa International Inc. Initially the company primarily dealt with buying and selling real estate but expanded its operations in 1987 with the purchase of Ewa Hotel Waikiki (formerly the Waikiki Pearl Hotel) located in Honolulu, Hawaii. After enjoying much success in the real estate sphere, he and his wife Evelyne opened a French gastronomic restaurant, Restaurant Evelyne, in Tokyo. Restaurant Evelyne's chef, Phillippe Batton won the 1996 Iron Chef TV Show competition. In 1984, at 30 years old, Inuzuka created Kunenbo, a high-end restaurant operations management company in Tokyo. Inuzuka's creative marketing techniques not only turned Restaurant Evelyne into an instant hit but also popularized high-end French cuisine in Tokyo. Still, even with his successful business ventures, Mr. Inuzuka was always thinking of ways in which he could use his success for philanthropic means. Soon after opening Restaurant Evelyne, he became a founding member of Doctor's of the World Japan, and used the restaurant to host its charity fundraising events for many years.
Politics
In 2000, Inuzuka was selected as a candidate by the Democratic Party of Japan to run for a seat in the House of Representative from the Nagasaki constituency. In 2004, he was elected to the House of Councillors (equivalent to the Senate in the United States) in the National Diet of Japan. His campaign goals were 1) to ensure that Japan ratify the International Criminal Court (ICC) 2) to advocate for those still suffering from the atomic bomb's radioactive effects 3) that Nagasaki focus on reinvesting in the local community's businesses as opposed to building wasteful infrastructure. Inuzuka argues that long run effects of inefficient construction projects are detrimental as they only solve the short term unemployment problem instead of creating a long-term sustainable solution that reinvesting in local businesses can provide. He has suggested that the government provide a "Nagasaki Fund"—a microfinance mechanism to invest in small businesses so that the local community may grow together. The unemployment rate will go down as the private sector regains its economic foothold through effective micro financing.
Placing human security in the center of his policy scheme, Inuzuka aims to build a new post-cold war framework for global peace and security. Accordingly, he has thrived in his campaign for Japan's accession to the International Criminal Court or ICC. After three years of aggressive campaigning in the Diet, Inuzuka managed to become one of the leading forces behind Japan's accession to the ICC on July 17, 2007, incidentally on the World Day for International Justice, exactly nine years from the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Following his success in the ICC campaign, Inuzuka is now a strong advocate for the establishment of the proposed UN Emergency Peace Service or UNEPS, which is a permanent emergency response service designed to supplement the U.N.’s capacity to provide stability, peace, and relief in humanitarian crisis situations. Being a strong advocate for peace and stability, Inuzuka supports the central idea of UNEPS that it will be composed of willing individuals who work directly under the auspices of the Security Council and not of military troops from contributing states.
Party posts
Committee posts
Social posts
Inuzuka holds several social posts besides his career as Senator in the House of Councillors of the Japanese Diet.