is a Japanese politician, the general-secretary of the Democratic Party for the People (DPP). He is serving as a member of the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers. If the t ...

Early life and education

Kazuya Shimba was born in

Kikugawa is a city located in the western portion of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 47,714 in 18,775 households, and a population density of 510 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The city is known f ...

on 25 April 1967. His father is Tatsuo Shimba, a local councilor who also served as mayor of Kikugawa. He graduated from high school in

Shizuoka Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain was a feudal domain under the Tok ...

, but went to the United States to study political science at

Otterbein University Otterbein University is a private university in Westerville, Ohio, United States. The university was founded in 1847 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and named for United Brethren founder, Philip William Otterbein. It has been as ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, where he earned a bachelor's degree, and then went to Israel.

Political career

After returning to Japan, he became a

assemblyman in 1994 and began his life as a politician. However, he was defeated in the 1998 Kikugawa mayoral election. In 2001, he ran for the

with the

Democratic Party of Japan The was a Centrism, centristThe Democratic Party of Japan was widely described as centrist: * * * * * * * to Centre-left politics, centre-left, Liberalism, liberal or Social liberalism, social-liberal List of political parties in Japan, ...

and won the election, joining national politics. He focused on diplomacy and defense, serving as Vice Minister of Defense and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. After the dissolution of the DPJ, he joined the Democratic Party For the People and currently serves as the secretary general of the Democratic Party For the People.

References

External links

* in Japanese. , - , - , - , - Members of the House of Councillors (Japan) Otterbein University alumni Tel Aviv University alumni Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Living people 1967 births Democratic Party of Japan politicians {{Japan-politician-1960s-stub