"Japanese National" Komeito's New Leader in Japan Reveals Korean Heritage Right After Taking Office

Grandparents Immigrated from Korea to Japan
Nationality Controversy and Slander Also Cited as Reasons for Disclosure
Obtained Japanese Citizenship Around University Graduation

Mitsunari Okamoto (岡本三成, 61), who took office as the new leader of the Komeito Party in Japan on October 3rd, revealed that he was born as a third-generation Korean resident in Japan and obtained Japanese citizenship around the time he graduated from university. On October 6th, Yonhap News, citing Japanese media such as Kyodo News, reported that Okamoto personally disclosed his birthplace and the process of acquiring citizenship while meeting with reporters at the National Diet that day.

Mitsunari Okamoto, who was inaugurated as the new leader of Japan's Komeito Party on the 3rd. Photo by Mitsunari Okamoto Facebook

Okamoto explained that he decided to disclose his background in light of assuming the important responsibility as the party leader. He added that the ongoing slander and speculation on the internet regarding his nationality was also one of the reasons behind his decision to go public. Prior to this, Okamoto gave a relatively detailed explanation of his roots in a YouTube video released on October 3rd.

He began by stating that he is "a Japanese national" and said he was born in 1965 in Saga Prefecture as a third-generation Korean resident in Japan. He explained that his grandparents immigrated from Korea to Japan, and he grew up in Saga Prefecture, attending public elementary, middle, and high schools before continuing on to a university in Tokyo.

Okamoto obtained Japanese citizenship around the time he graduated from university. He said that, having grown up in Japanese society and planning to continue living in Japan, he chose Japanese citizenship for that reason. In the video, he explained, "I really liked Japan, and I thought I would continue living here."

He also revealed that he has few personal connections with Korea. According to Okamoto, neither he nor his parents speak Korean, and his first visit to Korea was a business trip in his late 30s while working at Goldman Sachs. He added that he has only visited Korea around three or four more times since then.

Okamoto is a politician with a background in finance. According to the Komeito Party's official profile, he was born in Saga Prefecture in 1965 and graduated from Soka University in 1989. That same year, he joined Citibank, later earned an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in the US in 1998, and then worked at Goldman Sachs. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in the 2012 general election, and is currently serving his sixth term. Under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, he served as Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, and under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, he was Vice Minister of Finance. Within the party, he has also held positions such as Chairman of the Policy Research Council.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.