Hirotaka Akamatsu

Hirotaka Akamatsu (Japanese赤松 広 隆, Hirotaka Akamatsu, May 3, 1948 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture) is a Japanese politician, Member of the Shūgiin, the lower house, the Democratic Party (DPJ ) and former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Within the DPJ he belongs to Yokomichi group.

Akamatsu is the eldest son of the SPJ deputies Isamu Akamatsu (赤松 勇). After graduating from Waseda University, he worked for Nippon KK Tsūun (English Nippon Express Co., Ltd.)..

1979 Akamatsu was chosen as SPJ candidate for the first of three legislative periods in Aichi Prefecture Parliament. He then moved into national politics: In 1990 Shūgiin - election, he was elected ( four seats) with the highest share of the vote in the Shūgiin the 6th constituency Aichi. This result he was able to repeat in 1993. In 1993 he was among the party leaders Sadao Shanhua Secretary General of the Central Committee ( Chūō - shokichō ).

After the SPJ - government participation and the return of the LDP to power Akamatsu left in 1996, now called Social Democratic Party Party and participated in the first founding of the Democratic Party, for which he uses the newly created Shūgiin single constituency Aichi 5 from 1996 to 2003 three times won in a row and 2009. In 2000, the DPJ president Yukio Hatoyama appointed him as Chairman of the Committee for Parliamentary Affairs (until 2001 ). In 2003 he became chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Shūgiin, 2005 Deputy Chairman ( fuku - Daihyō ) of the DPJ.

In September 2009, the new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama Akamatsu appointed as Minister of Agriculture in his cabinet. 2010 replaced him Hatoyama's successor, Naoto Kan by Masahiko Yamada. 2012 Akamatsu kicked Naoto Kan in the election for party chairman.

In the 2012 election Shūgiin Akamatsu lost the constituency Aichi 5 but re-elected just to the Liberal Democrats Kenji Kanda, was the proportional representation block Tōkai. Subsequently, he was elected Vice President of the Shūgiin.