as 2000, both Hiranuma and Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara had publicly proposed creating a "conservative urban party" that would effectively split the LDP into two parties, one representing urban interests and one representing rural interests. On 10 April 2010, Hiranuma, Ishihara and several other politicians established a new political party, the Sunrise Party of Japan. This party merged with the Japan Restoration Party on 17 November 2012. Hiranuma was one of a number of politicians who subsequently left the Japan Restoration Party to form the Party for Future Generations on 1 August 2014, but was one of only two members of this party to win a seat in the 2014 general election. Hiranuma rejoined the Liberal Democratic Party on 25 September 2015. He announced in September 2017 that he would not run in the 2017 general election, signaling his retirement from politics. Personal life Hiranuma married Masako Tokugawa, a great-granddaughter of Tokugawa Yoshinobu and a niece of Princess Takamatsu. His son, Shoujiro, was elected to the House of Representatives in the 2021 general election. Controversial statements Following a downgrade of Japan's sovereign credit rating by Moody's in 2002, Hiranuma stated that ''Half of the people of Botswana are AIDS patients... It is outrageous [that Japan's] rating is lower than such a country.'' He later apologized for the statements. In 2006, he argued against the proposed imperial reform bill on the grounds that Princess Aiko could potentially marry and have children with a "blue-eyed foreigner" in the future. At a public rally organized by Nippon Kaigi, he stated that Japan's "unbroken male line for 125 generations" was "the precious, precious treasure of the Japanese race, as well as a world treasure." During a 2009 speech, Hiranuma criticized diet member Renhō's support of budget cuts to Japan's supercomputer program by insinuating that she may not have Japan's best interests at heart because she is not a Japanese national by birth. Honours Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (2018) References External links www.hiranuma.org - Official Website 1939 births Living people People from Shibuya Government ministers of Japan Keio University alumni Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens Nanjing Massacre deniers Japanese anti-communists Japanese nationalists Conservatism in Japan Politicians from Tokyo Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians Sunrise Party politicians 21st-century Japanese politicians Japan Restoration Party politicians Party for Japanese Kokoro politicians Members of Nippon Kaigi