| Kihara Minoru | |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Office: | 25th Minister of Defense |
| Term Start: | 13 September 2023 |
| Primeminister: | Fumio Kishida |
| Predecessor: | Yasukazu Hamada |
| Office2: | Member of the House of Representatives |
| Term Start2: | 11 September 2005 - 21 July 2009 18 December 2012 |
| Predecessor2: | Yorihisa Matsuno |
| Constituency2: | Kyushu PR block (2005-2009) Kumamoto 1st district (2012-present) |
| Birth Date: | 12 August 1969 |
| Birth Place: | Kumamoto, Japan |
| Party: | Liberal Democratic Party |
| Alma Mater: | Waseda University |
is a Japanese politician who has served as the Minister of Defense since September 2023. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, he also serves in the House of Representatives, and was previously the Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense.
A native of Kumamoto and graduate of Waseda University, he was elected for the first time in 2005 after working at Japan Airlines until 2004.[1] Kihara served as the Special Advisor to the Prime Minister for National Security Affairs from 2019 to 2021, for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga.[2]
Kihara is considered a pro-Taiwan MP.[3] [4] [5] In August 2022, Kihara was part of an unofficial Japanese delegation to Taiwan which met with Taiwanese officials, Premier Su Tseng-chang, and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.[6] An agreement was reached between the delegation and the Taiwanese government, to hold talks over evacuation plans for the 20,000 Japanese citizens living in Taiwan, in the event of a Chinese invasion.
In July 2023, Kihara participated in a war game conducted by the think tank, Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, the war game simulated a Chinese attack on Taiwan. In the war game, Kihara played the role of Japan's defense minister and proposed using "counterattack capabilities" against China to resist the invasion.
Following a cabinet reshuffle on 13 September 2023, he was appointed minister of defense.[7] Kihara announced on September 15, 2023 that he resigned from a cross-party group that enhances Japan-Taiwan relations.[8]
On October 3, 2023 Kihara visited the United States, where he met with U.S. officials to reaffirm commitment to the U.S.-Japan alliance and advance new areas of cooperation.[9] To help meet recruitment goals for Japan's core cyber defense forces, Kihara proposed loosening fitness requirements and offering higher salaries for new recruits.[10]
Kihara received criticism for his remarks on October 2023 at a political rally to support the LDP in a by-election, where he stated that "Supporting the LDP candidate will repay the efforts of the Self-Defense Forces and their families.”[11] Critics claimed that Kihara had used the SDF for political purposes, and had violated its political neutrality.[12] Kihara later retracted his remarks for causing a "misunderstanding".[13]
On May 2, 2024 Kihara met with defense chief counterparts from the United States, Philippines, and Australia in Hawaii.[14] In a series of bilateral, trilateral, and quadrilateral talks Kihara alongside his counterparts reaffirmed commitments to maintaining a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.[15]