is a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 of the Democratic Party of Japan

Democratic Party of Japan

The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...

, a member of the House of Councillors

House of Councillors

The is the upper house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or designation of the prime minister, the House of Representatives...

 in the Diet

Diet of Japan

The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...

 (national legislature). A native of Ogasa District, Shizuoka

Ogasa District, Shizuoka

was a rural district located in western Shizuoka, Japan.As of the end of 2003 , the district had an estimated population of 82,248 and a population density of 472.47 persons per km². Its total area was 174.08 km².-History:Ogasa District was on April 1, 1896 through the merger of former and...

, he graduated from Otterbein College, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, United States and attended Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...

 and Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...

 in Israel. He was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 2001 after serving in the town assembly of Kikugawa, Shizuoka

Kikugawa, Shizuoka

is a city located in the western portion of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is known for production of green tea. The city's slogan is "Green for the Next Generation". As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 47,196 and a density of 501 persons per km². The total area was 94.24...

. In 2009, he was appointed to the post of Deputy Minister of Defence by the Minister of Defence, Toshimi Kitazawa

Toshimi Kitazawa

is the current Japanese defence minister. He is a politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet . A native of Nagano, Nagano and graduate of Waseda University, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1992 after serving in the...

.

External links

• Official website in Japanese.