Tarō Asō is a Japanese politician who is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. Asō was the 59th Prime Minister of Japan, serving from September 2008 to September 2009.
Asō has served in the House of Representatives since 1979. He was Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2007, and was Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party briefly in 2007 and in 2008. He was President of the LDP from 2008 to 2009. His successor, Sadakazu Tanigaki, was chosen on 28 September 2009.
After the LDP's victory in the 2012 general election under Shinzō Abe he was appointed to the cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and State Minister for Financial Services. He has held the positions since 26 December 2012.
“One culture, one civilization, one language, and one ethnic group.”
About Japan, as quoted in "Ghosts of Wartime Japan Haunt Koizumi's Cabinet" http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=f6f50bd7a1687ece711a7ef721bb6fb8 (3 November 2005), by Christopher Reed, New America Media.
About China, as quoted in "Japan alarmed by Chinese 'threat'" http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4551642.stm, BBC, 22 December 2005.
“Luckily, we Japanese have yellow faces.”
Speech http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/mar/23/japan.usa (2007).
Meeting with Barack Obama https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSq0q-RrMMQ (February 2009).
At member of the House of Representatives general election campaign (1979).
