Photo: IAEA Imagebank / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Kuniko Inoguchi, born on May 3, 1952 in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, is a political scientist, diplomat and university teacher. That puts Kuniko Inoguchi at 74 years old in 2026. Schooling on record includes Oin Junior and Senior High School and Yale University. Recorded honors include Yoshino Sakuzo Prize (1989).
My Take
Kuniko Inoguchi's career reads like three careers stacked on top of each other. Born in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, in 1952, she went from Oin, one of Tokyo's most demanding girls' schools, to Yale, and built a reputation as a political scientist, winning the Yoshino Sakuzo Prize in 1989. Any of that alone would be a full life's work. She then moved into diplomacy, and from 2005 to 2006 served as Japan's Minister of State for Gender Equality and Social Affairs. She is now a member of the House of Councillors representing Chiba for the Liberal Democratic Party. What strikes me is the crossing itself. Scholars who study politics and politicians who practice it usually stay on their own side of the glass, because being right in a journal and being effective in a legislature are almost unrelated skills. Doing both, as a woman of her generation in Japanese public life, meant walking a path that had barely been marked. Careers like that deserve to be recorded carefully rather than summarized in a line.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kuniko Inoguchi
- Name (Japanese)
- 猪口邦子
- Reading
- いのぐち くにこ
- Born
- May 3, 1952 (age 74)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Dragon
- Origin
- Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
- Occupation
- political scientist / diplomat / university teacher / politician
2. Background
- High school
- Oin Junior and Senior High School
- University
- Yale University
Awards & achievements
- 1989 Yoshino Sakuzo Prize
3. Links
- Official sitehttp://www.kunikoinoguchi.jp
- Xhttps://x.com/kunikoinoguchi
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuniko%20Inoguchi
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%8C%AA%E5%8F%A3%E9%82%A6%E5%AD%90
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q534585
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-08-07
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Kuniko Inoguchi born?
Born May 3, 1952 (age 74).
Where is Kuniko Inoguchi from?
Kuniko Inoguchi is from Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
What does Kuniko Inoguchi do?
Kuniko Inoguchi works as political scientist, diplomat, university teacher, politician.
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