Katsuya Okada

Katsuya Okada (岡田 克也, Okada Katsuya, born 14 July 1953) is a Japanese politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of Japan from January to December 2012. A member of the House of Representatives of Japan, he is the President of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and served as Secretary-General three times. From September 2009 to September 2010, he was Foreign Minister of Japan.

Early life and education

Okada was born on 14 July 1953. He is the second son of Takuya Okada, who is a co-founder of AEON Group. His elder brother, Motoya Okada, is the President and CEO of AEON Group. He has a younger brother and a half-sister. A native of Yokkaichi, Mie, Okada graduated from the University of Tokyo with a degree in law, and entered the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. He also studied at Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs in Harvard University.

Political career

Okada ran for the House of Representatives at the 1990 general election from LDP, representing Mie Prefecture's third district, and later joined the Takeshita faction of the Liberal Democratic Party, and followed faction leaders Tsutomu Hata and Ichirō Ozawa to join the Japan Renewal Party in 1993. Through a series of splits and mergers, Okada then became a member of the New Frontier Party, Sun Party, and Minseito, finally entering the DPJ upon its merger with Minseito in 1998.