Wataru Takeshita

I love that Wataru Takeshita came up as a newspaper reporter before he ever walked the halls of Nagatacho, because once I learned that, his whole vibe clicked for me. There's a journalist's instinct that never really leaves you, that habit of watching the room and waiting before you talk, and I get the sense he carried it straight into politics. He grew up in the hills of Shimane, made it to Keio, and built a career that read as steady and unflashy rather than loud. He wasn't the type to fill the air with noise, but when he did speak you felt some weight behind it. Earning the Order of the Rising Sun feels like the right capstone for a guy who just kept his footing and ran the whole race. I find that quietly admirable, honestly.

Wataru Takeshita (November 3, 1946 – September 17, 2021) was a Japanese politician and journalist born in Kakugo-cho, Shimane Prefecture. He studied at Keio University before entering a career that spanned both journalism and national politics. He was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in recognition of his contributions to public life.

Name (English)

Wataru Takeshita

Name (Japanese)

竹下亘

Reading

たけした わたる

Born

November 3, 1946 – September 17, 2021

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Scorpio / Dog (戌)

Origin

Kakugo-cho, Shimane Prefecture, Japan

Occupation

Politician / Journalist

University

Keio University

Awards & achievements

• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (year unknown)

Motto

Private

• Official sitehttp://www.takeshita-wataru.com/
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AB%B9%E4%B8%8B%E4%BA%98

Tags

• From Shimane Prefecture
• Politician
• Journalist

Last updated

2026-06-02

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.