The Upper House has elected Mr. Kenji Hirata, secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan in the chamber, as its new president to succeed Takeo Nishioka, who died suddenly of pneumonia Nov. 5. Difficult tasks await this little-known lawmaker, the most pressing being quick rectification of the vote-value gap in Upper House elections. The ratio is now 5:1 between the least and most populated electoral districts.
Nishioka, a former education minister elected Upper House President in July 2010, was a maverick of sorts. Although his position required political neutrality, he was outspoken in criticizing then Prime Minister Naoto Kan over his handling of the March 11 disasters and the Fukushima nuclear crisis. He said a national leader must not use "beyond expectations" as an excuse for political inaction.
Mr. Hirata is the first lawmaker with a career embedded in the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) to become Upper House president. Rengo, Japan's largest labor group, is an influential supporter of the DPJ. He is also the third Upper House president with no experience as a Cabinet member. He is said to be close to DPJ Secretary General Azuma Koshiishi and have smooth relations with the opposition forces.