Shigeru Itō

Shigeru Itō (伊藤茂; 1928–2016) was a Japanese socialist politician. He held several positions in the Japan Socialist Party (JSP) and then in the Social Democratic Party. He also served as the minister of transportation between 1993 and 1994.

Shigeru Itō
Born	1928
Died	September 2016 (aged 87–88)
Alma mater	University of Tokyo
Occupation	Economist
Political party	Japan Socialist Party (until 1996) Social Democratic Party
Minister of Transportation
In office 1993–1994
Prime Minister	Morihiro Hosokawa

Biography

Itō graduated from the University of Tokyo receiving a bachelor's degree in economics.^[1] He worked as a junior staff at the headquarters of the JSP in Tokyo in the 1960s.^[1] He was elected as one of the secretaries to the national congress for the restoration of the Japan-China diplomatic relations which was established by the JSP in 1970.^[2] He became a member of the House of Representatives in 1976 from the JSP and served there for eight terms until 2000.^[3]

In early 1980s Itō and two other socialist politicians were accused by a former Soviet spy of intentionally or unintentionally helping the Soviet security agency, KGB.^[4][5] As of 1989 Itō was the chairman of the JSP's policy board.^[6]

In August 1993 Itō was appointed minister of transport to the cabinet led by Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa.^[7] He remained in the post until April 1994.^[3] When the JSP was dissolved in 1996 Itō joined the Social Democratic Party and served as its secretary general.^[3]

Itō died in September 2016.^[3]

References

1. George R. Packard (1966). Protest in Tokyo The Security Treaty Crisis of 1960. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 115. doi:10.1515/9781400878673. ISBN 9780691624143.
2. Daily Report, Foreign Radio Broadcasts. 1971. p. 10-PA11.
3. "伊藤茂氏が死去 元運輸相、元社民党副党首". Nikkei (in Japanese). 20 September 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
4. Henry Scott Stokes (14 April 1983). "An Ex-Soviet Spy Identifies 8 He Says Helped him in Japan". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
5. Myles L. C. Robertson (1988). Soviet Policy Towards Japan: An Analysis of Trends in the 1970s and 1980s. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-521-35131-7.
6. Ronald E. Yates (17 September 1989). "Led by Woman, Socialists Post Gains in Japan". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Tokyo. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
7. Purnendra Jain; Donna Weeks (Summer 1994). "The Historic Change of the Guard in Japan". Policy, Organisation and Society. 7 (1): 8. doi:10.1080/10349952.1994.11876791.