Makiko Tanaka | |
|---|---|
田中 眞紀子 | |
 Official portrait, 2012 | |
| Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology | |
| In office 1 October 2012 – 26 December 2012 | |
| Prime Minister | Yoshihiko Noda |
| Preceded by | Masaharu Nakagawa |
| Succeeded by | Hakubun Shimomura |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan | |
| In office 26 April 2001 – 29 January 2002 | |
| Prime Minister | Junichirō Koizumi |
| Preceded by | Yōhei Kōno |
| Succeeded by | Yoriko Kawaguchi |
| Director-General of theScience and Technology Agency | |
| In office 30 June 1994 – 8 August 1995 | |
| Prime Minister | Tomiichi Murayama |
| Preceded by | Mikio Ōmi |
| Succeeded by | Yasuoki Urano |
| Member of theHouse of Representatives | |
| In office 10 November 2003 – 16 November 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Yukio Hoshino |
| Succeeded by | Tadayoshi Nagashima |
| Constituency | Niigata 5th |
| In office 18 July 1993 – 9 August 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | Yukio Hoshino |
| Constituency | Niigata 3rd (1993–1996) Niigata 5th (1996–2002) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1944-01-14)14 January 1944 (age 81) Bunkyō,Tokyo,Japan |
| Political party | Independent (2003–2009; 2018–present) |
| Other political affiliations | LDP (until 2003) DPJ (2009–2016) DP (2016–2018) |
| Spouse | Naoki Suzuki |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent | Kakuei Tanaka (father) |
| Alma mater | Waseda University (B.Com.) |
Makiko Tanaka (田中 眞紀子,Tanaka Makiko, born on 14 January 1944) is aJapanesepolitician. She is the daughter of formerPrime MinisterKakuei Tanaka and his official wife Hana.
Tanaka attended high school atGermantown Friends School in the United States and graduated fromWaseda University. She spent most of her early adulthood working with her father'spolitical machineEtsuzankai, and was first lady to her father since her mother, Hana, was absent due to long-standing illness. She was elected to theLower House in 1993, shortly after her father's death.[1]
Tanaka was the first femaleforeign minister of Japan, from April 2001 to January 2002, but was fired from thecabinet after making remarks critical of Prime MinisterJunichiro Koizumi. Koizumi had also made indirect negative remarks toward Tanaka shortly before her removal as Foreign Minister.[2] Later that year, she was expelled from the rulingLiberal Democratic Party (LDP) and barred from party membership for two years.
In August 2002, Tanaka resigned from the Diet after allegations that she hadembezzled her secretaries'civil service salaries. A Tokyo court cleared her in September, and she ran for the Diet again as anindependent in November 2003.[3]
Her husbandNaoki Suzuki, whom she married in 1969 was adopted as an adult into her family, because she has no brothers to carry on the family name.
In August 2009, Tanaka and her husband joined the oppositionDemocratic Party of Japan.[4] In September 2009 she became the Diet chairperson of the Committee on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.[5] In September 2011 she became the Diet chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. On October 1, 2012, she became Minister of Education, Culture, Science, Sports, and Technology, as part of a reshuffle of theYoshihiko Noda Cabinet.[6]
On November 2, 2012 she denied applications for three new universities, contradicting a report the previous day that had endorsed the establishment of the universities. It had been 30 years since a minister had contradicted the ministry in such a way.[7] This sparked a large amount of criticism and after pressure from within the DPJ she reversed her decision and approved the applications.[8]
She lost her seat in the December 16, 2012general election.[9] She left office on 26 December 2012.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of state, director-general of the Science and Technology Agency 1994–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan 2001–2002 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology 2009–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs 2011–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology 2012 | Succeeded by |
| House of Representatives (Japan) | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the House of Representatives fromNiigata 3rd district (multi-member) 1993–1996 Served alongside:Yukio Hoshino, Shin Sakurai,Tomio Sakagami, Tatsuo Murayama | District eliminated |
| New district | Member of the House of Representatives fromNiigata 5th district (single-member) 1996–2002 2003–2012 | Vacant Title next held by Yukio Hoshino |
| Preceded by Yukio Hoshino | Succeeded by {{{after}}} | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Academics | |
