Tarō Asō

Tarō Asō (麻生 太郎, Asō Tarō, born 20 September 1940) is a Japanese politician who has been Deputy Prime Minister of Japan and Minister of Finance since December 2012. Asō previously served as Prime Minister of Japan from September 2008 to September 2009. Asō was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1979. He served in numerous roles, including as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2007, and became Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 2008, having also held that role temporarily in 2007. He was later elected LDP President in September 2008, becoming Prime Minister the same month. He led the LDP to its worst election result in its history a year later, marking only the second time in post-war Japan that a governing party had lost re-election. The LDP returned to government following the 2012 election under Shinzō Abe, and Asō was appointed to the Cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.