Shigeharu Aoyama (; born 25 July 1952) is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

politician who has served as a member of the

House of Councillors of Japan 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 2016. He represents the National proportional representation block. He currently serves on the Committee on Economy and Industry (as Director); Committee on Budget; and on the Special Committee on Official Development Assistance and Related Matters.

Early life

Aoyama was born on July 25, 1952, in the Hyogo Prefecture of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. He graduated from the school of political science and economics of

Waseda University Waseda University (Japanese: ), abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the Tōkyō Professional School by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the fifth Prime Minister of Japan, prime ministe ...

in 1979.

Career

Prior to his election to 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 ...

, Aoyama worked as a journalist and founded a

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

. A summary of his career is below: * 1979-98: Worked as a journalist for

Kyodo News is a nonprofit cooperative news agency based in Minato, Tokyo. It was established in November 1945 and it distributes news to almost all newspapers, and radio and television networks in Japan. The newspapers using its news have about 50 million ...

. * 1998-2002: Researcher for

Mitsubishi Research Institute Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc. (in Japanese, 三菱総合研究所 or 三菱総研 for short) (), often called MRI, was established at the centennial anniversary of Japan's Mitsubishi Group in 1970, invested by the various companies of the g ...

(think tank). * 2002: Founded "Japan's Independent Institute", a think tank (separated from Mitsubishi). In 2016, he was elected to the House of Councillors.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aoyama, Shigeharu Members of the House of Councillors (Japan) 1952 births Living people Waseda University alumni