Minoru Yanagida

Minoru Yanagida (Japanese柳 田 稔, Minoru Yanagida, born November 6, 1954 in Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, reported in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture) is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party (DPJ ), a member of the Sangiin for Hiroshima and was from September to November 2010 Justice Minister Kan 's cabinet. In the DPJ he belongs to the Kawabata group.

Yanagida, in the meantime interrupted his studies at the University of Tokyo, to work in a sushi restaurant, worked after his graduation in 1983, initially for Kobe SEIKOSHO ( Kobelco ), where he was also active in the union. In 1990 he moved into politics and ran for the Shūgiin - election in 1990 in Hiroshima 3 fünfmandatigen constituency - the constituency of Kiichi Miyazawa and Shizuka Kamei - as a candidate of the Democratic Socialist Party ( DSP) for Parliament. With the fourth highest share of the vote he won a seat; In 1993, he surpassed even the SPJ candidates and was confirmed to third place behind Miyazawa and Kamei in office.

After the failure of the anti - LDP coalition of Morihiro Hosokawa and Tsutomu Hata 1993/94 to Yanagida involved as most DSP members in the founding of the New Progressive Party. For this he was a candidate in 1996 in the newly created single constituency Hiroshima 7 and was defeated, Kiichi Miyazawa. Two years later, Yanagida returned as an independent candidate in the 1998 election - Sangiin as MP for the Hiroshima Prefecture ( two seats per constituency ) back into Parliament. Subsequently, he joined the Democratic Party and belongs to Kawabata group in which mainly collect former DSP members. In 2004, he was confirmed with the highest (before Ikuo Kamei ), 2010 with the second highest share of the vote ( behind Yōichi Miyazawa ) each for another six years. In Sangiin, he served as Chairman of the Committee for Health, Welfare and Labour ( from 2009) and Secretary General of the DPJ Sangiin Group (from 2010).

In a cabinet reshuffle in September 2010, Prime Minister Naoto Kan Yanagida appointed as Minister of Justice in his cabinet and also entrusted him with the responsibility for the " abduction issue [ of Japanese citizens by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ] ". On 14 November 2010 he spoke at an event in his constituency, the Office of the Minister of Justice is simple: with two standard decks he could all the questions from the Parliament, to which he knew no answer answer ( 「個別 の 事案 について は お答え を 差し控え ます」 Kobetsu no jian ni tsuite wa okotae o sashihikaemasu, " I will refrain from commenting individual cases "; 「法 と 証拠 に 基づい て 適切 に やっ て おり ます」 hō to Shoko ni motozuite tekisetsu ni Yatte orimasu, " I act appropriately based on law and evidence " ). The opposition saw this statement as a contempt of Parliament, sought a " Rügeresolution " in Sangiin, where it holds the majority, and threatened to delay the proceedings for the supplementary budget for fiscal year 2010. Yanagida was reprimanded by Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku and apologized in the Budget Committee of the Sangiin for his statements. On 22 November 2010 he resigned from his ministerial office.