Denny Tamaki
Denny Tamaki (玉城デニー Tamaki Denī?, born October 13, 1959) is a Japanese politician. He became the first Amerasian member of the Japanese House of Representatives in 2009,[1] and is currently a member of the People's Life Party led by Ichiro Ozawa.
Tamaki was born in Uruma, Okinawa[2] to an Okinawan waitress and a U.S. Marine father named William,[3] who left Okinawa before Tamaki was born. He was born Dennis Tamaki but his mother changed his name to Yasuhiro Tamaki (玉城 康裕 Tamaki Yasuhiro?); he later adopted an abbreviated version of his original name. Tamaki never met his father, and his mother remained single throughout his youth and destroyed most materials related to his father;[1] Tamaki attempted to search for his father but was unsuccessful in locating him. He learned minimal English in his youth,[3] but developed a love for American popular culture and was teased and bullied by classmates for his hazel eyes and reddish hair.[4]
He left to attend a trade school in Tokyo but returned to Okinawa afterward, working as a radio disk jockey in Okinawa for several years, and later as an Okinawa city council member from 2002 to 2005.[1][2] He ran in the 2005 general election for the Okinawa 3rd district but lost to incumbent Chiken Kakazu. He returned in the 2009 general election and defeated Kakazu for the 3rd district seat.[2]
After his election to the Diet, Tamaki became a member of the Lower House Standing Committee on National Security and director of the Special Committee on Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs.[1] Tamaki called for a sharp reduction in American troop strength in Okinawa, stating that "it's about time the Japanese government let Okinawa go back to its original self" and "we need to wean our economy from its dependence on the bases."[4] Tamaki joined Ichiro Ozawa in opposing the consumption tax hike proposed by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in 2012, and was removed from the Democratic Party of Japan.
He lost the Okinawa 3rd district race to Natsumi Higa in the 2012 general election but retained a seat in the Kyushu proportional representation block with the Tomorrow Party, which collapsed and became the People's Life Party following the election.[2]
Tamaki currently lives in Okinawa City.[2]
References
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