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Jin Matsubara

Jin Matsubara
松原 仁
Official portrait, 2011
Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission
In office
13 January 2012 – 1 October 2012
Prime MinisterYoshihiko Noda
Preceded byKenji Yamaoka
Succeeded byTadamasa Kodaira
Minister for the Abduction Issue
In office
13 January 2012 – 1 October 2012
Prime MinisterYoshihiko Noda
Preceded byKenji Yamaoka
Succeeded byKeishu Tanaka
Member of the House of Representatives
Assumed office
25 June 2000
Preceded byShinichiro Kurimoto
ConstituencyTokyo 3rd (2000–2005; 2009–2012; 2021–2024)
Tokyo PR (2005–2009; 2012–2021)
Tokyo 26th (2024–present)
Member of Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly
In office
1989–1996
ConstituencyŌta Ward
Personal details
Born
松原仁 (Matsubara Jin)

(1956-07-31) 31 July 1956 (age 68)
Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan
Political partyIndependent (since 2023)
Other political
affiliations
LDP (before 1994)
NFP (1994–1996)
Sun (1996–1998)
GGP (1998)
DPJ (1998–2016)
DP (2016–2017)
Kibō no Tō (2017–2018)
GOI (2018–2020)
CDP (2020–2023)
Children3
Alma materWaseda University
WebsiteOfficial Website

Jin Matsubara (松原 仁, Matsubara Jin, born 31 July 1956) is a Japanese politician who serves as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). He was appointed Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety and Minister for the Abduction Issue. Matsubara was formerly affiliated with Party of Hope and the Democratic Party (the Democratic Party of Japan).

Political career

Matsubara inspecting the Tokyo Metropolitan Comprehensive Consumer Center in 2012

In the first cabinet reshuffle of Democratic Party Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on 13 January 2012 he was appointed Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety and Minister for the Abduction Issue.[1] He left the cabinet on the 1 October 2012 cabinet reshuffle. Tadamasa Kodaira replaced him as Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission and Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety, and Keishu Tanaka took over as Minister for the Abduction Issue.[2]

Personal life

Matsubara is married with three children.[3] His oldest son Hajime Matsubara is a member of the Ota city assembly.[4]

Views on Second Sino-Japanese War and the Second World War

He was a supporter of right-wing filmmaker Satoru Mizushima's 2007 denialist film The Truth about Nanjing, which denied that the Nanjing Massacre ever occurred.[5] In 2014 he refused to retract his comments denying the massacre.[6]

During Diet discussions of Japanese government efforts to clean up chemical weapons abandoned in China at the end of the Second World War, Matsubara questioned the existence of such weapons.[7]

On Monday 27 August 2012 Matsubara told a House of Councillors budget committee meeting that he may propose to other ministers a review of the 1993 statement by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yōhei Kōno admitting the Imperial Japanese Army's role in establishing and running "comfort stations" for troops with forcibly recruited comfort women, because "no direct descriptions of forcible recruitment have been found in military and other Japanese official records obtained by the government."[8]

Visits to Yasukuni shrine

On 15 August 2012 Matsubara, along with Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Yuichiro Hata became the first cabinet ministers of the DPJ to openly visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on 15 August since the party came to power in 2009. Matsubara made his visit to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the end of World War II despite requests from South Korea to refrain from doing so,[9] and despite Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda requesting his cabinet not to do so.[10]

References

  1. ^ Consumer Affairs Agency website Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety Jin MATSUBARA Archived 9 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 14 August 2012
  2. ^ The Japan Times Noda shakes up Cabinet third time 2 October 2012 Retrieved on 2 October 2012
  3. ^ Consumer Affairs Agency website Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety Jin MATSUBARA Archived 9 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 14 August 2012
  4. ^ "Home". hajime-m.tokyo.
  5. ^ The Japan Times NANJING MASSACRE 70TH ANNIVERSARY 6 December 2007 Retrieved on 21 August 2012
  6. ^ Yoshida, Reiji DPJ exec’s denial of Nanjing stands: Matsubara refuses to retract contentious remark made in 2007 7 February 2014 The Japan Times Retrieved 29 March 2016
  7. ^ Time Magazine Japan's China Weapons Cleanup Hits a Snag 31 March 2008 Retrieved on 14 August 2012
  8. ^ The Daily Yomiuri Noda: Isles, comfort women not linked 28 August 2012 Retrieved on 28 August 2012
  9. ^ AsiaOne News Japanese cabinet minister visits Yasukuni Shrine 15 August 2012 Retrieved on 15 August 2012
  10. ^ Stuff Japanese cabinet member makes controversial homage 15 August 2012 Retrieved on 15 August 2012
House of Representatives (Japan)
Preceded by
(17 Representatives)
Representative for the Tokyo PR block
2012–present
2005–2009
Incumbent
Succeeded by
(17 Representatives)
Preceded by Representative for Tokyo 3rd district
2009–2012
Succeeded by
Hirotaka Ishihara
Preceded by Representative for Tokyo 3rd district
2000–2005
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