is a Japanese

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

and former

announcer An announcer is a voice artist who relays information to the audience of a broadcast media programme or live event. Television and other media Some announcers work in television production, radio or filmmaking, usually providing narration ...

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Comp ...

, who serves as a member of the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or ...

of the

National Diet The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paral ...

(parliament of Japan). She is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. She served as the head of the Women's Affairs Office of the LDP in October 2009. She graduated from the

University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project b ...

with the

Bachelor of Economics The Bachelor of Economics (BEc or BEcon), or the "Bachelor of Applied Economics", is a bachelor's degree awarded by many universities and colleges for completion of an undergraduate program in economics, econometrics, or applied economics; th ...

degree in 1993. The 2007 House of Councillors election marked her entry into politics. The documentary film ''"Pictures at an Election"'' covers some of her campaign. She is married to

Taku Otsuka is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the National Diet (national legislature of Japan). He is affiliated to the revisionist lobby Nippon Kaigi. Personal and corporate backgrounds ...

(a member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

). Their wedding ceremony was held in

Meiji Shrine , is a Shinto shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo, that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. The shrine does not contain the emperor's grave, which is located at Fushimi-momoyama, south of Kyoto. History A ...

on 16 June 2008. Marukawa has served twice as Minister of State for the Tokyo Olympic and

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...

. She first served in the role under

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe ( ; ja, 安倍晋三, Hepburn: , ; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 20 ...

from August 2016 until August 2017. She was named to the post a second time by

Yoshihide Suga is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2020 to 2021. He had served as Chief Cabinet Secretary during the second administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe fro ...

on 18 February 2021 to replace fellow LDP lawmaker and former Olympian

Seiko Hashimoto is a Japanese politician, former speed skater and track cyclist. She has the most Olympic appearances of any Japanese athlete except Noriaki Kasai, representing her native country in four consecutive Winter Olympics from 1984 to 1994 and in ...

, who had resigned from her Cabinet post in order to take over as President of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee. She was affiliated with the nationalist organisation

Nippon Kaigi The Right side up ...

References

External links

*
Profile on LDP website
1971 births Living people People from Kobe University of Tokyo alumni Female members of the House of Councillors (Japan) Members of the House of Councillors (Japan) Spouses of Japanese politicians TV Asahi Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians Women government ministers of Japan Environment ministers of Japan 21st-century Japanese politicians 21st-century Japanese women politicians Recipients of the Paralympic Order Members of Nippon Kaigi {{Japan-politician-1970s-stub