| Native name | 江田 憲司 |
|---|---|
| Office | Leader of the Japan Innovation Party |
| Term start | 21 September 2014 |
| Term end | 17 May 2015 |
| Predecessor | Position established |
| Successor | Yorihisa Matsuno |
| Office 1 | Leader of the Unity Party |
| Term start 1 | 18 December 2013 |
| Term end 1 | 21 September 2014 |
| Predecessor 1 | Position established |
| Successor 1 | Position abolished |
| Office 2 | Member of the House of Representatives |
| Term start 2 | 11 September 2005 |
| Term end 2 | 23 January 2026 |
| Predecessor 2 | Tetsundo Iwakuni |
| Successor 2 | Hidehiro Mitani |
| Constituency 2 | Kanagawa 8th |
| Term start 3 | 28 October 2002 |
| Term end 3 | 10 October 2003 |
| Predecessor 3 | Hiroshi Nakada |
| Successor 3 | Tetsundo Iwakuni |
| Constituency 3 | Kanagawa 8th |
| Birth date | 28 April 1956 (age 70) |
| Birth place | Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan |
| Party | CRA (since 2026) |
| Other party |
|
| Alma mater | University of Tokyo |
| Website | www.eda-k.net |
Kenji Eda (江田 憲司, Eda Kenji, born 28 April 1956) is a retired Japanese politician who was a member of the House of Representatives from 2002 to 2003 and again from 2005 to 2026.
Biography
A native of Okayama Prefecture and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1979, attending the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University in the United States while in the ministry. Leaving the government in 1998, he ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives in 2000 as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He ran again in 2002 as an independent, and was elected for the first time. He lost his seat in 2003, but was re-elected in 2005.
He was a member of Your Party from its foundation in 2009 to 2013. On August 7, 2013, he was demoted from the secretary-general by party leader Yoshimi Watanabe due to disagreements in political policies. He left Your Party on December 9, 2013, along with thirteen other members, and announced the formation of a new party known as the Unity Party.[2] He stated that his goal was to "change Japan by abolishing bureaucracy-led politics, fighting vested interests and breaking the centralization of power." Your Party challenged Eda's withdrawal by ordering the resignation of the defectors.[3]
In 2014 he joined the Japan Innovation Party, which merged with other parties to create the Democratic Party in early 2016.
He was a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP).[1] He expressed interest in possibly running in the 2024 CDP leadership election against incumbent party leader Kenta Izumi.[4] He eventually decided against running, agreeing instead to back candidate Harumi Yoshida.[5]
Eda joined the Centrist Reform Alliance ahead of the February 2026 election, but was defeated by LDP candidate Hidehiro Mitani.[6]
References
- ^ Reidy, Gearoid (29 October 2021). "Japan Opposition Suggests, Then Denies, Taxing Tax-Free Accounts". Bloomberg (via Yahoo! news). Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ "Eda names new party Yui no To". Japan Today. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
- ^ Mie, Ayako (18 December 2013). "Defectors from Your Party form new opposition force". The Japan Times. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "Ex-main opposition CDPJ chief Yukio Edano eyes comeback in leadership race". mainichi. The Mainichi. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ "Main opposition CDP kicks off leadership race". japantimes. Jiji Press. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ "中道・江田憲司氏が敗北、事務所に姿見せず 支持者ぼうぜん、神奈川８区" (in Japanese). Kanagawa Shimbun. 8 February 2026. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
External links
- Official website (in Japanese)