is a Japanese politician, journalist, historian, social critic and biographer of literary figures such as Yukio Mishima and Osamu Dazai. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Tokyo from June 2007 until becoming Acting Governor on 1 November 2012 following the resignation of Shintaro Ishihara. He was elected Governor in a historical landslide victory in December 2012, but announced his resignation on December 19, 2013, following a political funds-related scandal; his resignation was approved and became effective December 24, 2013.
Early life
Inose was born in Nagano Prefecture; his father died of angina when Inose was three years old. He attended elementary and junior high schools affiliated with Shinshu University, and ultimately enrolled at Shinshu in 1966. He graduated from Shinshu University in 1970 and moved to Tokyo, where he was married later in the year. He enrolled in graduate school for political science at Meiji University in 1972, and had two children, born in 1974 and 1978.
Career as author
Inose's 1983 book describes the findings of the . During the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, the Institute would be accused of being part of Japan's militaristic machine, but Inose asserts that it was little more than a think-tank, of which the purpose was to examine dispassionately the consequences of a total war. Its conclusion was that "there [would] be no way for Japan to win the war because of its clear material inferiority. The war [would] be drawn out. The Soviet Union [would] butt in, and Japan [would] be defeated. Therefore, going to war with the United States must absolutely be avoided."
This book was followed in 1987 by , concerning the development of the image of the Emperor, and the biographies of Yukio Mishima, Osamu Dazai and Kikuchi Kan: Persona (Perusona, 1995), Picaresque (Pikaresuku, 2000), and . In 2009, his 1993 book was published in English. In 2012, Inose's 1995 biography of Mishima was published in English under the title Persona: A Biography of Yukio Mishima, edited and adapted by Hiroaki Sato and published by Stone Bridge Press.
Inose's examination of public affairs led him to bitter criticisms of Japan's ruling classes and their reluctance to enact reform. His longstanding proposal was for the privatisation of the four public highway corporations, and reform of the postal savings system that finances them. As a result, he joined Prime Minister Junichirō Koizumi's taskforce and served on the commission to examine the Japan Highway Public Corporation (Nihon Doro Kodan). His insistence that cuts be made was so uncompromising that some other appointees declined positions on the board.
Inose said that Japan lost World War II because the government at the time ignored data suggesting Japan would be unable to defeat the Allies and forbade access to the information before Tokyo declared war in 1941. He has further argued that this action is being repeated today by bureaucrats with respect to the economy. He advocated that people share accurate information with respect to Japan's economic situation, that is not necessarily issued by bureaucrats, in efforts to help a debt-ridden Japan. He claims that "any reform can be implemented if people share more accurate and objective data than that (initially) released by authorities."
Political career
On 15 June 2007, Governor Shintaro Ishihara announced that Inose had agreed to serve as a lieutenant governor for the capital stating that "our opinions might differ but I believe it is healthy for us to debate and discuss many of our differences." Inose was initially at odds with LDP lawmakers in the metropolitan assembly during confirmation hearings, and shortly thereafter overturned an LDP-sponsored urban redevelopment initiative, although Ishihara later pressured Inose to cooperate with the LDP lawmakers.
Upon his resignation in 2012, Governor Ishihara designated Inose as his interim successor; Inose was elected as governor of Tokyo in the 2012 Tokyo gubernatorial election with the largest number of votes in Tokyo history. His platform included reform of the Tokyo Electric Power Company and the merger of Tokyo Metro with the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation subway network, although he made minimal progress with either issue following his election.
Role in Olympic bid
As governor, Inose served as the Chairman of Tokyo's successful bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics. He attended the 2012 Summer Olympics in London in order to launch Tokyo's campaign for the Games.