Shintaro Watanabe (渡邊 真太朗, Watanabe Shintaro; born 8 November 1992) is a Japanese politician, who serves as a member of…Shintaro Watanabe (渡邊 真太朗, Watanabe Shintaro; born 8 November 1992) is a Japanese politician, who serves as a member of the House of Representatives.
Kiyoshi Igarashi (五十嵐 清, Igarashi Kiyoshi; born 14 December 1969) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic…Kiyoshi Igarashi (五十嵐 清, Igarashi Kiyoshi; born 14 December 1969) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who serves as a member of the House of Representatives.
Yukio Edano (枝野 幸男, Edano Yukio; born 31 May 1964) is a Japanese politician who served as the leader of the…Yukio Edano (枝野 幸男, Edano Yukio; born 31 May 1964) is a Japanese politician who served as the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan from its formation in 2017 until 2021. He has served in various significant political roles, including the 3rd Policy Research Council Chairperson of the former Democratic Party of Japan, the 6th Policy Research Council Chairperson of the Democratic Party, the 140th Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs, the 16th Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Minister of State for the Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation, the inaugural Secretary-General of the Democratic Party for the People, the inaugural leader of the former Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the inaugural leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and the Chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on Audit and Oversight of Administration. He was elected to parliament in the 1993 Japanese general election under the Japan New Party, and served briefly in the governments of Morihiro Hosokawa, Tsutomu Hata, Tomiichi Murayama, and the first Ryutaro Hashimoto cabinet before leaving the New Party Sakigake to join the Democratic Party in 1998. He then held various roles inside the party, and upon the group's landslide victory in the 2009 election, served roles in all three opposition cabinets. He was a major part of the response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Following the defeat of the Democratic Party in 2012, he held his seat in parliament, and joined the various opposition groups that formed around the time, including the 2016 form of the Democratic Party. With his attempt to join Kibō no Tō being blocked by Yuriko Koike's refusal to let liberal members of the former Democratic Party inside the group, he left to form the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan for liberal factions of the former party, which he led to a surprising second-place finish in the 2017 Japanese general election. Following the CDP's poor performance in the 2021 general election, Edano announced on 2 November his intention to resign as leader of the party, triggering a leadership election.
Eiichi Sato (佐藤 栄一, Satō Eiichi; born 5 October 1961) is the mayor of Utsunomiya, Tochigi in Japan. A graduate of Meiji…Eiichi Sato (佐藤 栄一, Satō Eiichi; born 5 October 1961) is the mayor of Utsunomiya, Tochigi in Japan. A graduate of Meiji University, he has been serving his first term of mayor since 29 November 2004.
Michiko Ueno (上野 通子, Ueno Michiko; born April 21, 1958) is a Japanese politician. She is a member of the House of…Michiko Ueno (上野 通子, Ueno Michiko; born April 21, 1958) is a Japanese politician. She is a member of the House of Councillors, the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. She was first elected to the House of Councillors in 2010 and was re-elected in 2016. Prior to that, she was a member of the Tochigi Prefectural Assembly from 2003 to 2010. She belongs to the Liberal Democratic Party. Ueno is affiliated to the revisionist lobby Nippon Kaigi.
Katsunori Takahashi (高橋 克法, Takahashi Katsunori; born 7 December 1957) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal…Katsunori Takahashi (高橋 克法, Takahashi Katsunori; born 7 December 1957) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who serves as a member of the House of Councillors.
Toshimitsu Motegi (茂木 敏充, Motegi Toshimitsu; born 7 October 1955) is a Japanese politician who is serving as Minister…Toshimitsu Motegi (茂木 敏充, Motegi Toshimitsu; born 7 October 1955) is a Japanese politician who is serving as Minister for Foreign Affairs and as a member of the House of Representatives. He has previously served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2019 to 2021, and as Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry from 2012 to 2014. He served as the Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party from 2021 to 2024. He was the leader of the Heisei Kenkyūkai faction within the LDP, before its dissolution in 2024.
Hajime Funada (船田 元, Funada Hajime; born 22 November 1953) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party…Hajime Funada (船田 元, Funada Hajime; born 22 November 1953) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, who serve as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature) and a former Minister of Economic Planning. A native of Utsunomiya, Tochigi he attended Keio University both as undergraduate and graduate. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1979.
Tomikazu Fukuda (福田 富一, Fukuda Tomikazu; born 21 May 1953) is a Japanese politician who serves as governor of Tochigi…Tomikazu Fukuda (福田 富一, Fukuda Tomikazu; born 21 May 1953) is a Japanese politician who serves as governor of Tochigi Prefecture since 2004.
Tsutomu Sato (佐藤 勉, Satō Tsutomu; born 20 June 1952) is a Japanese politician who served as Minister for Internal…Tsutomu Sato (佐藤 勉, Satō Tsutomu; born 20 June 1952) is a Japanese politician who served as Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications in 2009 and Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission from 2008 to 2009 under Prime Minister Taro Aso. A member of the House of Representatives for the Liberal Democratic Party from 1996 to 2026, Sato has also served in party positions as chairman of the General Council from 2020 to 2021 and chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee from 2013 to 2016. A native of Tochigi Prefecture and graduate of Nihon University, he worked as for a construction company and served in the Tochigi Prefectural Assembly before his election to the House of Representatives.
Yoshimi Watanabe (渡辺 喜美, Watanabe Yoshimi; born 17 March 1952) is a former Japanese politician. He was formerly a…Yoshimi Watanabe (渡辺 喜美, Watanabe Yoshimi; born 17 March 1952) is a former Japanese politician. He was formerly a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and later the founder of Your Party, after which he became a member of Nippon Ishin no Kai until 2019 when he then became an independent politician. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2014, and returned to the Diet (national legislature) in 2016 as a member of the House of Councillors.
Susumu Yanase (簗瀬 進, Yanase Susumu; born 23 April 1950) is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a…Susumu Yanase (簗瀬 進, Yanase Susumu; born 23 April 1950) is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature).
Akio Fukuda (福田 昭夫, Fukuda Akio; born 17 April 1948) is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party…Akio Fukuda (福田 昭夫, Fukuda Akio; born 17 April 1948) is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party and a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Imaichi, Tochigi and graduate of Tohoku University, he joined the city government of Imaichi in 1971 and became the mayor of the city in 1991, serving for three terms. He was elected to be the governor of Tochigi Prefecture in 2000 but lost his re-election in 2004. In 2005, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time. In the February 2026 election, Fukuda was the candidate of the newly formed Centrist Reform Alliance in Tochigi 2nd district, but lost to Liberal Democratic Party candidate Kiyoshi Igarashi. He subsequently left the alliance, criticising the decision to form a new party and the placement of Komeito-affiliated candidates at the top of the party’s proportional representation lists.
Mamoru Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林守 Kobayashi Mamoru; 26 October 1944 – 17 January 2023) was a Japanese politician. A…Mamoru Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林守 Kobayashi Mamoru; 26 October 1944 – 17 January 2023) was a Japanese politician. A member of the Japan Socialist Party, he served in the House of Representatives from 1990 to 2003. Kobayashi died in Kanuma on 17 January 2023, at the age of 78.
Koya Nishikawa (西川 公也, Nishikawa Kōya; born 26 December 1942) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party…Koya Nishikawa (西川 公也, Nishikawa Kōya; born 26 December 1942) is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Shioya District, Tochigi he attended Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology as both undergraduate and graduate students. After college, he worked at the government Tochigi Prefecture from 1967 to 1978. He was elected to the assembly of Tochigi Prefecture for the first time in 1979 and then to the Diet for the first time in 1996. On 9 December 2020, he resigned as the special adviser to the Cabinet after being involved in a bribery scandal corresponding to a boating trip hosted by a former head of a major egg farm, who was involved in a separate bribery case.
Masayuki Fujio (藤尾 正行 Fujio Masayuki, January 1, 1917 – October 22, 2006) was the Japanese Minister of Education, under…Masayuki Fujio (藤尾 正行 Fujio Masayuki, January 1, 1917 – October 22, 2006) was the Japanese Minister of Education, under the government of Yasuhiro Nakasone until 1986. He was a member of the right-wing Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai faction of the Liberal Democratic Party, where he was described as being a "loyal vassal" to Takeo Fukuda, the founder of the faction. In 1986, Fujio was made Minister of Education by Prime Minister Nakasone, but he was soon fired by Nakasone after an interview with Bungei Shunju in which he made several controversial remarks about Japan's role in the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. In the interview, Fujio questioned the criminality of the Nanjing Massacre, claiming "It is not murder under international law to kill in war". Further, he compared the Nanjing Massacre with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and implied that if Japan's war time actions were wrong then so were America's. Fujio died of pneumonia on October 22, 2006 at the age of 89.
Kimi Ohashi (Japanese: 大橋 喜美; 29 January 1905 – 1 June 1999) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first group…Kimi Ohashi (Japanese: 大橋 喜美; 29 January 1905 – 1 June 1999) was a Japanese politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the House of Representatives in 1946.
Michio Yuzawa (湯沢三千男, Yuzawa Michio; 20 May 1888 – 21 February 1963) was a bureaucrat and cabinet minister in early…Michio Yuzawa (湯沢三千男, Yuzawa Michio; 20 May 1888 – 21 February 1963) was a bureaucrat and cabinet minister in early Shōwa period Japan.
Yūzō Yamamoto (山本 有三, Yamamoto Yūzō; 27 July 1887 – 11 January 1974) was a Japanese novelist and playwright. His real…Yūzō Yamamoto (山本 有三, Yamamoto Yūzō; 27 July 1887 – 11 January 1974) was a Japanese novelist and playwright. His real name was written as "山本 勇造" but pronounced the same as his pen name.
Kuniaki Koiso (小磯 國昭, Koiso Kuniaki; 22 March 1880 – 3 November 1950) was a Japanese politician and general who served…Kuniaki Koiso (小磯 國昭, Koiso Kuniaki; 22 March 1880 – 3 November 1950) was a Japanese politician and general who served as prime minister of Japan from 1944 to 1945, during World War II. He previously served as minister of colonial affairs in 1939 and 1940, and as governor-general of Korea from 1942 to 1944. Koiso resigned as premier after the start of the Battle of Okinawa, and following Japan's surrender he was convicted as a Class A war criminal and sentenced to life imprisonment, dying in prison in 1950.
Shōzō Tanaka (田中 正造, Tanaka Shōzō; 15 December 1841 – 4 September 1913) was a Japanese politician and social activist…Shōzō Tanaka (田中 正造, Tanaka Shōzō; 15 December 1841 – 4 September 1913) was a Japanese politician and social activist, and is considered to be Japan's first conservationist. Tanaka was politically active in the Meiji Restoration and leader in the Freedom and Popular Rights Movement. In Japan's first general election of 1890, he was elected to the House of Representatives as a member of the Rikken Kaishintō, a liberal political party. He is most well known for his advocacy of rural residents around the Watarase River whose health and livelihoods were negatively affected by pollution from the Ashio Copper Mine in the 1880s. Tanaka also contributed to philosophical thought on nature in the early Meiji era.
