Introduction
Taro Aso became prime minister in Sept. 2008 after the resignation of Yasuo Fukuda. With a reputation as a conservative and nationalist, he came to office promising to address Japan’s economic problems. However, he faced a divided parliament, with the upper house controlled by the opposition, and severe challenges resulting from the global economic crisis.
Early Life
Taro Aso was born on 20 Sept. 1940 in Iizuka, Fukuoka. As owners of the Aso Cement Company, his family had a tradition of holding political office. After graduating in politics and economics at Gakushuin University, he studied at Stanford University in the USA and at the London School of Economics. In 1966 he joined the Aso Cement Company, for a period working in its Brazil offices, and was appointed company president in 1973. Aso also represented Japan at shooting at the 1976 Olympic Games.
In Oct. 1979 he was elected to the House of Representatives as a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He...
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(2019). Aso, Taro (Japan). In: The Statesman’s Yearbook Companion. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95839-9_46
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95839-9_46
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