Kenji Eda

Kenji Eda (江田 憲司, Eda Kenji, born April 28, 1956) is a Japanese politician and member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). 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.

Kenji Eda
江田 憲司
Member of the House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 September 2005
Preceded by	Tetsundo Iwakuni
Constituency	Kanagawa-8th
In office 28 October 2002 – 10 October 2003
Preceded by	Hiroshi Nakada
Succeeded by	Tetsundo Iwakuni
Constituency	Kanagawa-8th
Personal details
Born	(1956-04-28) 28 April 1956 Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan
Political party	Independent
Other political affiliations	DP (2016-2017) JIP (2014–2016, merger) Unity (2013–2014, merger) Your (2009–2013) Independent (2002–2009) LDP (2000–2002)
Alma mater	University of Tokyo
Website	www.eda-k.net

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.[1] 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.[2]

In 2014 he joined the Japan Innovation Party, which merged with other parties to create the Democratic Party in early 2016.