Hakubun Shimomura

Hakubun Shimomura
下村 博文
Official portrait, 2013
Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games
In office
13 September 2013 – 25 June 2015
Prime MinisterShinzo Abe
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byToshiaki Endo
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
In office
26 December 2012 – 7 October 2015
Prime MinisterShinzo Abe
Preceded byMakiko Tanaka
Succeeded byHiroshi Hase
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for political affairs
In office
26 September 2006 – 27 August 2007
Prime MinisterShinzo Abe
Preceded byJinen Nagase
Succeeded byMatsushige Ono
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
20 October 1996 – 9 October 2024
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byYukihiko Akutsu
ConstituencyTokyo 11th
Member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly
In office
1989–1996
Succeeded byYukihiko Akutsu
ConstituencyItabashi Ward
Personal details
Born (1954-05-23) 23 May 1954 (age 70)
Takasaki, Gunma, Japan
Political partyLiberal Democratic
Alma materWaseda University
WebsiteOfficial website

Hakubun Shimomura (下村 博文, Shimomura Hakubun, born 23 May 1954) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature).

Shimomura is affiliated with the openly revisionist organization Nippon Kaigi.[1] As Minister of Education, he oversaw the approval of textbooks that have been described as minimizing Japan's role in the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II,[2] to avoid a "masochistic view of history".[3] He has advocated for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to deny the Nanjing Massacre and the existence of the comfort women system.[4]

Shimomura held a seat in the Diet for nearly three decades, winning nine consecutive terms until losing in the 2024 Japanese general election.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Osaki, Tomohiro; Gardin, Caroline (28 October 2024). "Japan Voters Say 'Punished' Ruling Party Over Scandal". Barron's.