Aso was born in Iizuka, Fukuoka, Kyushu Island, on September 20, 1940, into a family with established political and business traditions. His grandfather, Shigeru Yoshida, was Japan's Prime Minister from 1945 to 1952, and his father, Takakichi Aso, was the chairman of the Aso Cement Company, a member of the House of Representatives and a close associate of Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka.
Aso first graduated from the Faculty of Politics and Economics at Gakushuin University and then studied in the United States at Stanford University and then at the London School of Economics. He therefore speaks English fluently.
Aso joined his father's company in 1966, and is now its president. Aso Cement is a recognised leader on Japan's cement market.
In 1978, Aso was National President of Japan's Junior Chamber of promising businessmen and politicians.
In 1979 he was elected member of the House of Representatives (re-elected eight times).
Aso chaired the parliamentary committees on international affairs, restructuring of the financial system, and education, and was chairman of the Political Council and General Secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
1996: Head of the economic planning division.
2001: Minister of Economic and Fiscal Policy.
2003: Minister of Internal Affairs, Posts and Communications.
2005-2007: Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Since 2001, Aso has run four times for the post of LDP chairman (lost to Junichiro Koizumi in April 2001, to Shinzo Abe in September 2006, and to Yasuo Fukuda in September 2007), gradually winning the number of supporters within the party.
In late 2006, he chaired his own party group, which currently has 20 MPs.
On September 24, 2008, Aso was elected Prime Minister.
Taro Aso has repeatedly spoken for developing relations with Russia and received several Russian delegations. He described Russia of early 21st century as "the most interesting country in the world," but also pointed to the symbolic nature of the territorial problem, which is hindering Russian-Japanese relations and which he described as "a bone of contention." In February 2006, he proposed broadcasting Japanese programmes to the South Kurils, to show to their residents that life in Japan is better.
Aso was in Moscow for a conference of the G8 Foreign Ministers in June 2006, and on an official visit in May 2007.
Taro Aso met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev twice, during the APEC summit in Lima, Peru, in November 2008, and before the ceremony of commissioning the liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Prigorodny, Sakhalin, in February 2009. He also had a telephone conversation with the Russian leader in January 2009.
Aso is a Roman Catholic (baptised as Francis). His wife, Chikako, is the third daughter of Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki. His younger sister, Nobuko, is the wife of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, a first cousin of the Emperor Akihito.
He has a son and a daughter.