(Redirected from Sosuke Uno)
'Sōsuke Uno' (宇野 宗佑 ''Uno Sōsuke''
August 27,
1922–
May 19,
1998) was a
Japanese
politician and the 75th
Prime Minister of Japan from
June 3,
1989 to
August 10,
1989.
He was born in
Shiga Prefecture and attended the
Kobe University of Commerce. After serving in the
Imperial Japanese Army during
World War II, he entered politics, winning election to the
Diet of Japan in
1960.
Uno's main action as prime minister was to institute the country's first
consumption tax, which immediately caused an uproar among many voters and led to the
Japan Socialist Party's victory in the Tokyo metropolitan legislative election of 1989. Uno's government was also hurt by repercussive effects from the
Recruit Scandal of 1988. Uno assumed office as
the tanks rolled into Beijing on June 3rd.
Uno eventually had to resign after less than three months amid a
sex scandal revealed by a
geisha. The controversy surrounding Uno's extramarital affair was more focused on irresponsibility rather than immorality; Uno supposedly did not support his mistress, at the least not with an appropriate amount, which led her to complain publicly. The story was not widely publicized in Japan until a ''
Washington Post'' reporter picked up the story from the ''
Mainichi Shimbun'', bringing international attention to Uno.
Following Uno's resignation, most LDP lawmakers refused to associate with him, and he quickly lost control over his faction within the party.
He died in
Moriyama.