Azuma Koshiishi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Azuma Koshiishi
輿石 東 |
|
|---|---|
Koshiishi in 2015
|
|
| Member of the House of Councillors | |
| In office 12 July 1998 – 21 June 2016 |
|
| Preceded by | Tetsuro Shimura |
| Succeeded by | Yuka Miyazawa |
| Constituency | Yamanashi at-large district |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 18 February 1990 – 27 September 1996 Serving with Eiichi Nakao (1990–1996)
Shin Kanemaru, Toshimasa Ueda, Kunio Tanabe (1990–1993) Mitsuo Horiuchi, Sakihito Ozawa, Shōmei Yokouchi (1993–1996) |
|
| Preceded by | Mitsuo Horiuchi |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| Constituency | Yamanashi at-large district |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 May 1936 Tatsuoka, Nirasaki, Japan |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | Tsuru Junior College |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Official website: http://www.k-azuma.com/ |
Azuma Koshiishi (輿石 東, Koshiishi Azuma, born May 14, 1936) is a Japanese politician. He was a member of the House of Councillors in Japan's parliament, called the Diet. He also served as the General Secretary of the Democratic Party, which was the ruling party at the time.
Koshiishi was born in Nirasaki, Yamanashi, Japan. He went to Tsuru University. He first became a politician in 1990, when he was elected to the House of Representatives. He served two terms there. In 1998, he was elected to the House of Councillors.
Contents
Life Before Politics
Before becoming a politician, Azuma Koshiishi was an elementary school teacher. He taught for 26 years!
During his time as a teacher, he became involved in union activities. Unions are groups that work to protect the rights of workers. Koshiishi joined the Japan Teachers Union. In 1984, he became the head of the union's branch in Yamanashi. Two years later, in 1986, he became the head of the Yamanashi Trade Union Confederation.
In 1997, he became the director of the Yamanashi Prefecture Educational Research Institute. This institute helps with educational studies and improvements.
Becoming a Politician
Koshiishi started his political journey in 1990. He was first elected to the House of Representatives. This is one of the two houses of Japan's parliament, the Diet. He was a member of the Social Democratic Party at that time.
He was re-elected in 1993. This meant he served two terms as a lawmaker in the lower house. He also helped create the party that came before the Democratic Party of Japan. However, he was not re-elected in 1996.
Serving in the House of Councillors
In 1998, Koshiishi was elected to the House of Councillors. This is the other house of Japan's parliament. He was re-elected twice more, in 2004 and 2010.
In January 2016, he announced that he would not run for election again. He finished his term in June 2016. Another politician from the Democratic Party, Yuka Miyazawa, took his place in the July 2016 election.
Role as General Secretary
On August 31, 2011, Koshiishi became the General Secretary of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). This was a very important job. He was the first person from the upper house (House of Councillors) to hold this position. At 75 years old, he was also the oldest person to become the party's General Secretary.
His appointment happened when Yoshihiko Noda became the new leader of the DPJ. Noda also became the Prime Minister of Japan. Koshiishi was chosen to help bring different parts of the party together.
He was asked to stay on as General Secretary in September 2012. He accepted the role again a few days later. This was another effort to keep the party united.
See also
- Japan Teachers Union
