Taisuke Ono

Ono
Born	(1974-04-20) April 20, 1974 Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
Occupation	Politician
Years active	1999–present
Known for	Member of the House of Representatives, Deputy Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture, 2020 Tokyo gubernatorial candidate

is a Japanese political figure who held a seat in the House of Representatives as a member of the Japan Innovation Party. He secured election in the 2021 Japanese general election via the Tokyo proportional representation block. Prior to this, he served as Deputy Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture for eight years under Governor Ikuo Kabashima. In the 2020 Tokyo gubernatorial election, Ono stood as the Innovation Party's candidate, obtaining 612,530 votes, which accounted for 9.99% of the total.

Early life and education

Born on 20 April 1974 in Meguro, Tokyo, Ono spent much of his early years in Akashi before relocating to Kodaira in 1983. After finishing high school in 1993, he enrolled at the University of Tokyo's Department of Liberal Arts, where he attended a lecture delivered by Ikuo Kabashima.

Following his graduation from the University of Tokyo's law faculty, Ono began his career at Anderson Consulting (currently known as Accenture) as a consultant in 1999. From 2000 until 2002, he worked as a public secretary to , a member of the House of Representatives representing the Liberal Party.

Deputy Governor of Kumamoto

When Kabashima campaigned for governor of Kumamoto Prefecture in 2008, Ono—his former student—provided support during the election. Upon Kabashima’s successful election, Ono was appointed as policy coordinating advisor for the prefecture.

At age 38, Ono was named one of Kumamoto’s two Deputy Governors, becoming the youngest person to hold such a position nationwide. He was reappointed by the prefectural assembly in 2016. That same year, he chaired a conference aimed at revitalizing tourism after the impact of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes. Although initially intending to pursue a third term as Deputy Governor, Ono ultimately decided against it following Governor Kabashima’s counsel to seek broader political opportunities.

2020 Tokyo gubernatorial election

On 2 June 2020, Ono declared his intention to run in the Tokyo gubernatorial election scheduled for that year. By 7 June, he had met with Japan Innovation Party leaders Ichirō Matsui and Nobuyuki Baba and secured their endorsement. He resigned from his Deputy Governor post on 8 June.

Ono officially received the JIP nomination during a press conference held on 9 June in Tokyo alongside party members such as Hirofumi Yanagase, Shun Otokita, and Mitsuko Ishii. Throughout his campaign, he also attracted backing from Seiji Maehara, former foreign minister and member of the Democratic Party for the People (DPFP). Ultimately, Ono finished fourth with 9.99% of votes cast—falling short by just 738 votes to reclaim his deposit of three million yen.

Japanese House of Representatives

Following his gubernatorial bid, Ono was selected as the Japan Innovation Party candidate for Tokyo 1st district in the 2021 general election. He competed against LDP candidate Miki Yamada and CDP candidate Banri Kaieda, who previously served as President of the Democratic Party of Japan. Ono ranked third behind Kaieda in second place and Yamada who won; however, both Kaieda and Ono obtained seats through the Tokyo proportional representation block, with Ono capturing 23.7% of votes.

In December 2022, after electoral boundary changes, Ono contested Tokyo’s 7th district. He placed third with a vote share of 22%, trailing behind LDP-affiliated Abe faction member Tamayo Marukawa at 27%, and winner Akihiro Matsuo, who received over 40%. Due to Nippon Ishin’s limited proportional vote performance outside Osaka—resulting in only two seats allocated in Tokyo—all candidates were ranked first prioritizing their margin of defeat. Despite Ono achieving a margin better than other contenders at 55%, this was insufficient for securing a seat; had Ishin won three proportional seats instead of two, he would have been elected.

Personal life

Ono is married and has three children: one son and two daughters. In November 2015, he received a lung cancer diagnosis and underwent surgery the following month, which involved the partial removal of his right lung. By January 2016, he had resumed his duties in public office.