Natsuo Yamaguchi


Natsuo Yamaguchi is a Japanese politician of the Komeito party and a member of the House of Councillors in the National Diet of Japan.

Early life

A native of Nakaminato, Ibaraki and he was raised in Hitachi until his graduation from public senior high school. His mother was a teacher of the elementary school. After graduating from the University of Tokyo with a B.L. degree in 1978, he became a lawyer in 1982.

Political career

He was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1990. After losing his seat in 1996, he ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives in 2000. In 2001 he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time. He became the party's leader on 8 September 2009 after the party suffered a major defeat In the 2009 Japanese general election. New Komeito lost ten seats, including that of party leader Akihiro Ota and general secretary Kazuo Kitagawa. On 8 September 2009, Yamaguchi replaced Ota as president of New Komeito.
Yamaguchi's term as party leader expired in September 2012, and he was re-appointed unopposed for another two years on 22 September 2012. No vote was required, as he was the only candidate.