is a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 of the Democratic Party of Japan

Democratic Party of Japan

The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...

, a member of the House of Councillors

House of Councillors

The is the upper house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or designation of the prime minister, the House of Representatives...

 in the Diet

Diet of Japan

The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...

 (national legislature). A native of Kitakami, Iwate

Kitakami, Iwate

is a city located in Iwate Prefecture on the main island of Japan.- History :The first city of Kitakami was founded on April 1, 1954.The current and the second city of Kitakami was founded on April 1, 1991 when the first city merged with the villages of Ezuriko and Waga .- Sightseeing :The city is...

 and graduate of the University of Tokyo

University of Tokyo

, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...

, he joined the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan)

The ' a cabinet ministry in the government of Japan responsible for oversight of the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries. Its acronym is MAFF.-History:...

 in 1977, attending the Iowa State University

Iowa State University

Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...

 in the United States as a ministry official. In 2001, he left the ministry and was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time.

On July 5, 2011, after the abrupt resignation of Ryū Matsumoto

Ryu Matsumoto

is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Fukuoka, Fukuoka and graduate of Chuo University, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1990 as a member of the Japan Socialist Party...

, Hirano was named the Minister of State for Disaster Management, in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...

 in his native Tōhoku region. He was reappointed to the post in September 2011 in the cabinet of newly appointed prime minister Yoshihiko Noda

Yoshihiko Noda

is the current Prime Minister of Japan, a member of the Democratic Party of Japan , and a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet...

.

External links

• Official website in Japanese.