Japanese politician (born 1964)
Junko Mihara (三原 じゅん子, Mihara Junko, born 13 September 1964) is a Japanese politician, and was formerly a singer, actress, and racing driver. She is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Entertainment career
Mihara made her debut as a teenager in the 1979 television series Kinpachi-sensei, and began a singing career in 1980. Her first hit sold more than 300,000 copies.[1]
In 1987, she began competing in auto racing. Mihara drove a Toyota Corolla in the Japanese Touring Car Championship from 1990 to 1991, sharing the car with her husband Masahiro Matsunaga and Shinichi Yamaji.[2][3] From 1992 to 1995, she raced in the Spa 24 Hours in Belgium, followed by the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship with Kumi Sato in 1996 and 1997;[3] Mihara and Sato were co-drivers in the 1995 Spa 24 Hours.[3][4] In 1998, she and Sato participated in the American Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.[5] Mihara remained involved in racing—particularly the JGTC's successor Super GT—after entering politics, serving as the secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party's Parliamentary League for Motorsports.[6]
Mihara underwent treatment for cervical cancer later in her life, and established a nursing home in March 2010 prior to her political debut.[1]
Political career
Mihara ran in the House of Councillors election in July 2010 as a proportional candidate of the Liberal Democratic Party[7] and won, campaigning on her experience with women's health issues.[1] She first appeared in the Diet on 30 July 2010.[8] She was elected to a seat representing the Kanagawa at-large district in the July 2016 election.[9]
Positions within the LDP:[10]
- Deputy Director, Health, Labor and Welfare Division of LDP
- Deputy chairman, Committee on Organizations Involved with Labor of LDP
- Acting Director, Public Speeches Division of LDP
- Vice-Chairman, Committee on Organizations Involved with Health and Welfare of LDP
Controversies
Mihara is in favor of visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine.[11]
In March 2015, when speaking about dealing with tax evasion she urged Prime Minister Shinzō Abe to promote hakkō ichiu, a slogan meaning "the world under one roof".[12][13] Although it is controversial as it was used during the WW2 for patriotism, she explained it as "an ethic which Japan has valued since its genesis".[14] It is true that hakkō ichiu has long history and its first appearance is in "Nihon Shoki", the second oldest history book in Japan.
