Gen Nakatani

Japanese politician

Born: October 14, 1957

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Who is Gen Nakatani?

Gen Nakatani (中谷元, Nakatani Gen; born 14 October 1957) is a Japanese politician who was Director General of the Japan Defense Agency (now Japan Ministry of Defense) in the first cabinet of former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi in 2001-2002 and was appointed the Minister of Defense by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2014. Nakatani was born in Kōchi and attended the National Defense Academy of Japan. Nakatani was again named to the position of Minister of Defense for the cabinet of Shigeru Ishiba in 2024. He served for four years as a commissioned officer in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (20th Infantry Regiment and Airborne Training Unit).

Historical significance

Nakatani first ran for elected office as a Liberal Democratic Party candidate in the 1990 general election and won one of five seats representing Kōchi Prefecture, and held this seat in the 1993 general election.

Sources and further reading

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MLA

“Gen Nakatani.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/gen-nakatani/. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

APA

Gen Nakatani. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/gen-nakatani/

Chicago

“Gen Nakatani.” thisDay. Accessed November 2, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/gen-nakatani/.

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