is a Japanese television announcer and politician of the

Initiatives from Osaka The is a conservative and right-wing populist political party in Japan. Formed as ''Initiatives from Osaka'' in October 2015 from a split in the old Japan Innovation Party, the party became the third-biggest opposition party in the National D ...

party. He is serving his first term as a member of the House of Councillors in the

National Diet The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (Japan), House of Councillors (, ...

, representing the Hyogo at-large district.

Early life and education

Shimizu was born in

Chikushino, Fukuoka is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Bordering Dazaifu, Onojo, Nakagawa, Saga Prefecture, Ogori, Yasu, and Chikuho, Fukuoka, Chikushino is essentially a southern suburb of Fukuoka City. It was founded on April 1, 1972. As of September 3 ...

Prefecture and was raised in

Matsudo, Chiba 260px, Matsudo City Hall is a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 498,575 in 242,981 households and a population density of 8100 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Matsudo is locat ...

Prefecture, graduating from the city's Negiuchi Junior High School. He then attended the attached to the Shibaura Institute of Technology. Shimizu gained entry to Waseda University and graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree in 1999. He later attended the graduate school of Kwansei Gakuin University, completing a Master of Business Administration in 2004.

Television career

After graduating from Waseda, Shimizu joined the

Asahi Broadcasting Corporation is a certified broadcasting holding company headquartered in Osaka, Japan. Until March 31, 2018, it was a unified radio and television broadcaster serving in the Kansai region. On April 1, 2018, its radio and television broadcasting divisions ...

as a television announcer, where he was employed for nine years. During this time he featured as the main presenter of the station's early-morning ''Ohayō Asahi Cōru'' (Asahi Morning Call) that was broadcast in the Kansai region. From 2006 until March 2010 he also appeared on Asahi radio's Tuesday afternoon program alongside . In 2010 Shimizu left Asahi to become a freelance announcer, during which time his work included reporting from areas damaged by the March 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Political career

Shimizu first entered politics as the Japan Restoration Party candidate in the at the December 2012

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

, with an endorsement from Your Party. Shimizu received more votes than the incumbent member of the Democratic Party of Japan, but finished second behind Liberal Democratic Party candidate , losing by 25,637 votes. In the

Kinki proportional representation block The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolitan ...

, the Restoration Party received 30.8% of the vote, entitling them to ten of the block's 29 seats. However, Shimizu's relatively large margin of defeat in his district meant he finished twelfth amongst his party's candidates and missed out on a seat in the House of Representatives. Shimizu then turned his attention to the House of Councillors election scheduled for July 2013. He contested the two-member Hyogo at-large district for the Restoration Party and finished second in the vote, defeating Democratic Party incumbent Yasuhiro Tsuji by more than 11%. During his first term in the House of Councillors, Shimizu's role has included serving on the House's audit committee, economy and industry committee, and the special committee on the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea.

Party membership

In June 2014 the Restoration Party split due to disagreement between the party's leaders concerning a proposed merger with the Unity Party. Shimizu remained with the Restoration Party, led by Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto, which completed the merger with the Unity Party in September 2014, creating the Japan Innovation Party. In August 2015 the Innovation Party suffered a split over policy issues, and Shimizu again sided with the Hashimoto-led faction that left the Innovation Party to form the

party in October 2015.

References

External links

*
House of Councillors profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shimizu, Takayuki 1974 births Living people Members of the House of Councillors (Japan) Nippon Ishin no Kai politicians Japan Innovation Party politicians 21st-century Japanese politicians Japan Restoration Party politicians Kwansei Gakuin University alumni Waseda University alumni People from Matsudo People from Chikushino, Fukuoka Politicians from Fukuoka Prefecture