Chūichi Date Explained

Chūichi Date
Native Name Lang:ja
Office:President of the House of Councillors
Term Start:1 August 2016
Term End:28 July 2019
Deputy:Akira Gunji
Predecessor:Masaaki Yamazaki
Successor:Akiko Santō
Office1:Member of the House of Councillors
Term Start1:29 July 2001
Term End1:28 July 2019
Predecessor1:Hisamitsu Sugano
Successor1:Harumi Takahashi
Constituency1:Hokkaido
Office2:Member of the Hokkaido Prefectural Assembly
Term Start2:1991
Term End2:2001
Constituency2:Atsubetsu-ku, Sapporo
Term Start3:1983
Term End3:1987
Constituency3:Ashibetsu
Birth Date:20 January 1939
Birth Place:Ashibetsu, Hokkaido, Japan
Party:Liberal Democratic
Alma Mater:Sapporo Medical University

is a Japanese retired politician of the Liberal Democratic Party who served three terms in the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature) and also served as the LDP's National Diet Committee Chairman.

A native of Ashibetsu, Hokkaido and high school graduate, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 2001 after serving in the Hokkaido Prefectural Assembly. He was a former President of the House of Councillors.

After the Assassination of Shinzo Abe in July 2022 he admitted that he had asked Abe for votes from the Unification Church (UC) in the 2016 Upper House election. According to Hokkaido Television Broadcasting reporting, Date has participated in at least three events sponsored by the UC and its front organisations, including an online event in August 2020, where he stated, "I believe that the spirit of coexistence, co-prosperity, and shared meaning, which leaders Moon and Han are preaching, is more desperately needed today than ever." Date testified that when he supported Yoshifumi Miyajima of the LDP, who ran for the House of Councillors in the 2016 national proportional election, he asked Shinzo Abe to provide votes supplied from the UC. He said that Abe agreed and Miyajima was elected for the first time, but that Abe refused to allow him to run for the Upper House this time, and Miyajima had to withdraw from the race.[1] The UC support was instead distributed to Inoue Yoshiyuki.[2] [3]

Election Results

2013

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.nikkan-gendai.com/articles/view/life/308985 "I asked Mr. Abe for votes from the Unification Church"
  2. https://www.htb.co.jp/news/archives_16834.html 【解説】伊達前参議院議長 安倍元総理に旧統一教会票を依頼
  3. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/07/25/national/japan-politics-unification-church-links/ Unification Church ties to Japan's lawmakers emerge as major political issue