Background
Takeo Hiranuma was adopted by his maternal great-uncle, the younger brother of his grandfather Kiichirō Hiranuma, with his father and mother (all family together).
平沼 赳夫
Takeo Hiranuma was adopted by his maternal great-uncle, the younger brother of his grandfather Kiichirō Hiranuma, with his father and mother (all family together).
Hiranuma attended Keio University and worked in the private sector for eleven years until moving to served as an aide for Ichiro Nakagawa and Eisaku Satō.
Kiichirō Hiranuma was Prime Minister of Japan until 30 August 1939, and, had no wife nor biological children. Hiranuma served as vice minister for the ministry of finance in 1987 and minister of transport in 1995. Hiranuma was made minister of international trade and industry in July 2000.
His portfolio changed when the ministry was renamed as ministry of economy, trade, and industry in January 2001.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reappointed him as minister of economy, trade, and industry in April 2001. Hiranuma retained his post in the cabinet reshuffle of September 2002, becoming the longest-serving trade minister of Japan in postwar period.
He was fired in August 2005 when Hiranuma refused to support the Prime Minister"s plans to privatize Japan Post. He was not endorsed by the Liberal Democratic Party in the 11 September 2005 election, but he was nonetheless reelected.
During a speech on 17 January 2009 in the city of Okayama, Hiranuma criticized diet member Renhou Murata"s support of budget cuts to Japan"s supercomputer program by insinuating that she may not have Japan"s best interests at heart because she is not a Japanese national by birth.
Hiranuma is affiliated to the openly revisionist organization Nippon Kaigi.
On 10 April 2010, he and several other politicians established a new political party, the Sunrise Party of Japan.
He then ran for a seat in the House of Representatives twice and failed, until he was finally elected in 1980 as a member of Japan"s Liberal Democratic Party.