Masahiro Imamura

Masahiro Imamura (今村 雅弘, Imamura Masahiro, born January 25, 1947) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Kashima, Saga and a graduate of the University of Tokyo, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1996 after working for the JR.

• Japanese National Railways (employee of Kyusyu Railway Co. after the privatization)
• State Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries
• Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
• Chairman, Committee on Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
• Chairman, Special Committee on Audit and Oversight of Administration
• Chairman, Regional Government Promotion Headquarters
• Minister of reconstruction for disaster-hit regions

On August 11, 2016, one week after joining Prime Minister Shinzō Abe's cabinet as reconstruction minister for disaster-hit regions, Masahiro Imamura visited the controversial Yasukuni shrine.

In late 2016, hours after Abe and Defense Minister Tomomi Inada met President Barack Obama in Hawaii and Abe expressed 'everlasting condolences' for the casualties of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, Imamura again visited the shrine. The visit garnered "a sharp rebuke from Beijing". Imamura said his visit had “nothing to do with” Abe’s trip and the timing was “a coincidence”, saying he "wished to express gratitude and prayed for Japan’s peace and prosperity".

Imamura is a member of key right-wing Diet groups:

• Nippon Kaigi (revisionist lobby)
• Pro-Yasukuni Alliance
• Conference of young parliamentarians supporting the idea that the Yasukuni Shrine is a true national interest and desire for peace
• Japan Rebirth (Sosei Nippon)
• Shinto Seiji Renmei Kokkai Giin Kondankai (Sinseiren, Shinto Political League - Shinto fundamentalism)

Ahead of the 2012 elections, Imamura positioned himself in favor of:

• changing the Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan, which prohibits the exercise of the right of collective self-defense
• considering the nuclear armament of Japan
• re-operating the nuclear power plants that meet the new standards of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Note that Imamura, who holds rather radical positions about nuclear issues, is now the minister in charge of coping with the aftermath of the Fukushima.