Akira Gunji

Akira Gunji (Japanese郡 司 彰, Akira Gunji, born December 11, 1949 in Mito, Ibaraki ) is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party ( Yokomichi group), Senator for Ibaraki and since August 2013 Chairman of the Senate faction of the Democrats. In the umbgebildeten government of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda he was from June to December 2012 Holiday Economy Minister.

Gunji finished his studies prematurely at Meiji Gakuin University and then worked for the company Isejin, a leading operator of hotels and wedding venues from Ibaraki. He participated in 1989 in the founding of the Federation of Trade Unions of Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries staff ( Zenkoku Nōdanrō ), one of the smaller member associations of Rengo. He was there first Vice Secretary ( shokijichō ), 1990 Vice Chairman ( fuku - iinchō ) and 1992 Secretary of the Prefecture Ibaraki Association. He was a board member of Rengo Ibaraki 1993.

In the Senate elections in 1998 ran Gunji for the currently "new" founded, enlarged Democratic Party in Ibaraki (two senators per election ) and was elected with the highest share of the vote, each confirms 2004 and 2010 in second place behind Hiroshi Okada ( Liberal Democratic Party) in the Official. In the party he joined the union- Yokomichi group of ex- socialists. In the 2000s, he took over as Chairman of several Senate committees, 2004 to 2005 in the Environment Committee, 2007 Committee on Management and Supervision from 2007 to 2009 in the Agriculture Committee.

After winning the majority in the House by the Democratic Party in 2009 and the resulting government takeover Gunji was next Masahiko Yamada (later replaced by Takashi Shinohara ) Vice-Minister, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, where he remained until September 2010. In June 2012, he was appointed in a cabinet reshuffle to the responsible government minister Noda, sparking Michihiko Kano from, who had held office since the previous government of Naoto Kan.

In August 2013 Gunji was elected to Toshimi Kitazawa from Nagano with 33 to 24 votes the chairman of the Senate faction of the Democratic Party, replacing Azuma Koshiishi from which, after seven years at the helm of the Group after the Senate elections in 2013 Vice- President of the Senate was.