is a Japanese politician who served as the chief representative of

Komeito , formerly New Komeito (NKP) and commonly referred to as simply Komei, is a political party in Japan founded by the leader of Soka Gakkai, Daisaku Ikeda, in 1964. It is generally considered centrist and socially conservative. Since 2012, i ...

from 2009 to 2024. He is 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 ...

since 2001 and previously served in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

from 1990 to 1996.

Early life

A native of Nakaminato (now

Hitachinaka 250px, Hitachinaka city hall is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 154,663 in 64,900 households and a population density of 1547 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged over 65 ...

), Ibaraki and he was raised in

Hitachi () is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company is active in various industries, including digital systems, power and renewable ener ...

until his graduation from public senior high school. His mother was a teacher of the elementary school. After graduating from the

University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

with a B.L. degree in 1978, he became a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

in 1982.

Political career

Yamaguchi was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

. After losing his seat in

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, he ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. In

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, he was elected to the

for the first time. He was appointed chairman of the policy research council in August 2008. Komeito suffered a major defeat in the 2009 general election, losing ten seats, including party president Akihiro Ota and secretary general Kazuo Kitagawa. On September 8, Yamaguchi replaced Ota as president. He had been chosen through a process centered on party heavyweights Takenori Kanzaki and Chikara Sakaguchi. Yamaguchi's first term as party leader expired in September 2012, and he was re-appointed unopposed for another two years on 22 September 2012. No vote was required, as he was the only candidate. He has continually been reelected since then. After fifteen years leading Komeito, Yamaguchi stepped down in September 2024 and was succeeded by

Keiichi Ishii is a Japanese politician who served as the chief representative of Komeito in 2024. He previously served as secretary general of the party from 2020 to 2024, and as Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism under Prime Minister Shi ...

. Yamaguchi has come out in support of the Selective Surname System for married couples and

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

, as well as

voting rights Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in ...

for permanent foreign residents.

Personality

*Known for his mild-mannered personality. Compared to the former Komeito lawmakers such as his predecessor, Ota, he has a softer appearance and is considered to be a major factor in his appointment as a representative. As a politician, it is not always an advantage, and because of its good personality, it is said that there are no enemies but no allies around Nagatacho. *His nickname among his supporters and on Nico Nico Live is "Natchan."（党首がゆく 2013参院選）公明党・山口那津男代表「ブレーキ役」問われる夏
- Asahi Shimbun(07/03/2021) In 2001, when he ran for the House of Councilors election for the first time in the 19th House of Councilors election, he was given a metal badge imitating Natsumi-kan by his supporters .Summer oranges badge 2013 of the 23rd member of the House of Councilors ordinary election is but mounted.

References

External links

* in Japanese. {{DEFAULTSORT:Yamaguchi, Natsuo Members of the House of Councillors (Japan) University of Tokyo alumni 1952 births Living people Japanese Buddhists Politicians from Ibaraki Prefecture Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) New Komeito politicians 20th-century Japanese lawyers Members of Sōka Gakkai People from Hitachinaka, Ibaraki