Shoji Nishida

is a conservative Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature).

Early life and education

Nishida was born in Kyoto Prefecture on 19 September 1958. He graduated from Shiga University in 1981,Mr. NISHIDA Shoji / House of Councillors, The National Diet of Japan (as of July 30,2020)
/ref> became a certified public tax accountant by passing the Licensed Tax Accountant Examination in 1984.

Political career

Nishida was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 2007 after serving in the assembly of Kyoto Prefecture since 1990.

In early 2011, he was involved in a political scandal, revealing information that forced Seiji Maehara to resign.A foreigner in her own home: Shoddy treatment of its Korean residents once again deals Japan a black eye
The Economist. Mar 10th 2011

He is associated with Japanese nationalist groups, such as Ganbare Nihon. Recently, he accused Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of affiliation with South Korea.

He became the chairman of Special Committee on Nuclear Power Issues in 2014 and the chairman of Special Committee on Regional Issues and Consumer Affairs in the House of Councillors.

In May 2025, Shoji Nishida, a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) member of the House of Councillors representing Kyoto Prefecture, faced intense criticism for controversial remarks about the Himeyuri-no-to memorial in Okinawa Prefecture.

During a symposium in Naha on May 3, Nishida described the memorial, which commemorates over 200 nurses and teachers of the Himeyuri Student Corps killed in the 1945 Battle of Okinawa, as “terrible” and an example of “rewriting history.”

He claimed the memorial’s narrative falsely suggested that the Japanese military’s presence led to the students’ deaths while portraying the U.S. arrival as a liberation of Okinawa. An official at the memorial categorically denied that the site contained any such narrative, casting doubt on the accuracy of Nishida’s assertions.

Nishida’s remarks were widely condemned as insensitive and poorly informed, particularly given the Himeyuri-no-to memorial’s status as a poignant symbol of peace and anti-war sentiment in Okinawa.

His initial refusal to retract the statements at a May 7 news conference, where he accused the media of misrepresenting his comments, further escalated the controversy.

Nishida admitted he could not recall the exact wording of the memorial’s displays, which he claimed to have seen over 20 years earlier, undermining the credibility of his critique. This vague recollection and his insistence on the factual basis of his claims, despite lacking specific evidence, drew sharp rebukes from Okinawa Prefecture officials and politicians across the political spectrum, including members of his own LDP.

On May 9, Nishida issued a partial apology, retracting his specific remarks about the Himeyuri-no-to memorial and acknowledging that invoking its name without proper context was “highly inappropriate.”

However, he maintained his broader assertion that Okinawa’s history education, particularly regarding the Battle of Okinawa, was distorted, a stance critics viewed as tone-deaf and dismissive of Okinawan perspectives.

His refusal to fully retract his claims further inflamed public and political outrage, with many questioning his understanding of the historical and emotional significance of the memorial to Okinawans.

The controversy necessitated a formal apology from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, LDP president, to Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki on May 20, 2025, during a meeting at the prime minister’s office. Ishiba described Nishida’s remarks as “deeply regrettable” and pledged to prevent similar missteps from LDP members, underscoring the severity of the backlash.

Nishida’s handling of the situation, marked by factual inaccuracies, a delayed and partial apology, and a failure to grasp the memorial’s significance, further damaged his reputation.

References

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External links

* in Japanese.

1958 births
Living people
Politicians from Kyoto Prefecture
Members of the House of Councillors (Japan)
Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians
Members of the Kyoto Prefectural Assembly
Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2021–2024
Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) 2024–

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