Yoshitaka Sakurada (桜田 義孝, Sakurada Yoshitaka, born December 20, 1949) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, and a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature).[2][3] He formerly served as Minister of State for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in the Fourth Abe Cabinet.
Yoshitaka Sakurada | |
---|---|
桜田 義孝 | |
Minister of State for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games | |
In office 2 October 2018 – 10 April 2019[1] | |
Prime Minister | Shinzo Abe |
Preceded by | Shunichi Suzuki |
Succeeded by | Shunichi Suzuki |
Member of the House of Representatives | |
Assumed office June 25, 2000 - August 8, 2005 October 31, 2021 | |
Constituency | Southern Kanto PR |
In office October 20, 1996 - June 2, 2000 September 11, 2005 - July 21, 2009 December 16, 2012 – October 14, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Kimiaki Matsuzaki |
Succeeded by | Satoshi Honzyō |
Constituency | Chiba-8th |
Personal details | |
Born | Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan | 20 December 1949
Alma mater | Meiji University |
A native of Kashiwa, Chiba, and graduate of Meiji University, Sakurada served in the city assembly of Kashiwa for two terms from 1987 and in the assembly of Chiba Prefecture from 1995. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1996.
His profile on the LDP website:[3]
Sakurada is a board member of the Tokyo Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (Tokyo 2020) and serves as a political adviser to the Pachinko Chain Stores Association (PCSA).
In October 2018, Sakurada entered the cabinet as the Minister of State for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games. He resigned from the post just six months later, after suggesting that the re-election campaign of a ruling LDP lawmaker was of a higher priority than the 2011 earthquake and tsunami reconstruction effort.[1][4]
Affiliated to the openly revisionist lobby Nippon Kaigi,[5] Sakurada attended a meeting on March 3, 2014, to seek a review of the Kono Statement and voiced his support for the revision.[6] In January 2016, he said that World War II comfort women were "professional prostitutes. That's business." He apologised later in the day.[7]
Sakurada is a member of the following right-wing Diet groups:
Sakurada gave the following answers to the questionnaire submitted by Mainichi to parliamentarians in 2012:[8]