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Abe Cabinet (Formed December 26, 2012)
INTERNAL AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER
Yoshitaka Shindo
Date of birth: Jan. 20, 1958
Party: LDP
Electoral district: Lower House; Saitama No. 2 (fifth term)
An avowed nationalist, Shindo led three fellow lawmakers to South Korea in August 2011 to inspect Ulleungdo Island, where the administrative and military offices for the disputed Takeshima/Dokdo islets are located. They were stopped at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul.
Shindo is the grandson of Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi, commander of the Imperial forces during the battle of Iwojima.
Born in Saitama, Shindo graduated from Meiji University in 1980 after majoring in literature and went on to work at the Kawaguchi Municipal Government, mainly in city planning.
He entered politics in 1990, when he was elected to the Kawaguchi Municipal Assembly.
Shindo entered the House of Representatives in 1995 and was appointed vice trade minister in 2006.
