is a Japanese politician who was a member of the

Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

between 1980 and 2009. Kyuma graduated from the

University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

in 1964 and worked for the

Ministry of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

. He was elected to the Nagasaki Prefectural Assembly in 1971 serving three terms before being elected to the Diet as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) for

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

Number 2.

Defense Minister

Kyūma served as the Director General of the Japan Defense Agency from 1996 to 1998 under then Prime Minister

Ryutaro Hashimoto was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan, prime minister of Japan from 1996 to 1998. Born in Okayama Prefecture, Hashimoto graduated from Keio University in 1960 and entered the National Diet in 1963. He rose through the ...

. He served in a variety of LDP posts in

Jun'ichirō Koizumi Junichiro Koizumi ( ; , ''Koizumi Jun'ichirō'' ; born 8 January 1942) is a Japanese retired politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics in 200 ...

's cabinet. He again became responsible for Director General of the Japan Defense Agency in September 2006. He would be the last head of the JDA before the Ministry of Defense was created for which he was the first holder of the title.

Controversial remarks

In September 2006, shortly after he was appointed Defense Minister, Kyūma stated that the Chinese military was a concern, contradicting earlier comments that he had made referring to China's military as a threat. In December 2006, Kyūma claimed that although former Prime Minister Jun'ichirō Koizumi supported the U.S.-led

invasion of Iraq An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives ...

, the invasion did not have the official support of the Japanese government. He later had to withdraw his remarks, admitting that the Japanese " Cabinet officially adopted a unified view supporting the U.S.-led war." On 24 January 2007 he said that the U.S. decision to invade Iraq was a mistake. In January 2007 he criticized the United States over not getting the approval of

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

's governor during efforts to relocate the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. The base and its relocation has been a source of friction between the residents of Okinawa and the U.S. government.

Resignation

Kyūma resigned as Defense Minister on 3 July 2007 for remarks made at Reitaku University in Kashiwa,

Chiba Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama ...

on 30 June. In this speech, he stated "I now have come to accept in my mind that in order to end the war, it could not be helped that an atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki and that countless numbers of people suffered great tragedy." He appeared on a

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...

morning news show on 1 July, saying he did not think an apology would be necessary, but he apologized later the same day. When this would not calm the critics, Kyūma finally submitted his resignation on 3 July. Asked about the reason for his resignation, Kyūma is quoted as saying that he did not want his comments to become a "minus" for the Prime Minister.

Yuriko Koike Yuriko Koike (小池百合子, Koike Yuriko; born 15 July 1952) is a Japanese politician who has served as the Governor of Tokyo since 2016. Previously, she was also served as a member of the House of Councillors from 1992 to 1993, a member o ...

was appointed his successor the same day. "Yuriko Koike appointed new Defence Minister"
, japannewsreview.com. Retrieved 18 June 2015.

Honours

''From the Japanese Wikipedia'' *Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

(29 April 2013)

References

External links

, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kyuma, Fumio 1940 births Living people University of Tokyo alumni Ministers of defense of Japan Members of Nippon Kaigi Politicians from Nagasaki Prefecture Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2000–2003 Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2003–2005 Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2005–2009 Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 1986–1990 Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 1990–1993 Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 1993–1996 Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 1996–2000