Taro Yamamoto

Taro Yamamoto
Taro Yamamoto near Tokyo Station on July 6, 2016
Native name	山本 太郎
Born	(1974-11-24) November 24, 1974 (age 42) Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Japan
Occupation	Actor and politician

Tarō Yamamoto (山本 太郎, Yamamoto Tarō^?, born 24 November 1974 in Takarazuka, Hyōgo) is a Japanese politician and former actor, currently serving as a member of the House of Councillors, and as Co-Chairman and Policy Deliberation Chairman of the People's Life Party & Taro Yamamoto and Friends.

Yamamoto was born in Takarazuka, Hyogo; his father died shortly after his birth, and he and his two older sisters were raised by their mother, who sold Persian carpets. Yamamoto began his career as a television "talent" in 1990, appearing in dramas such as Futarikko (1996-97) and Shinsengumi! (2004). He also appeared in several films, including Battle Royale (2000) and Moon Child (2003).

In 2008, he said on a TV show that the Liancourt Rocks, disputed between Japan and Korea, should be given to Korea.

Yamamoto entered politics after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown in March 2011. He announced that he "would no longer be a silent accomplice of the terrorist nation Japan", and became a protester in the anti-nuclear movement. He resigned from his talent agency some time later in order to focus on activism. Yamamoto, a resident of Tokyo, flew to Saga Prefecture in July and attempted, along with a local citizens' group, to enter the governor's office to protest the restart of a power plant. He chanted phrases such as, "Protect our children!" "We don't need nuclear energy!" "Come out, Governor!" He did not get an audience with the governor, but said he was glad that he came. The scene was broadcast on television, and the Saga District Public Prosecutors Office considered pressing charges against Yamamoto. Following the incident, in early 2012, Yamamoto led a petition campaign in Tokyo to hold a referendum that would bar Tokyo Electric Power Company from continuing to run nuclear facilities.