Yoshiko Kira (吉良佳子, Kira Yoshiko) is a Japanese politician and member of the House of Councillors since 2013, representing the Tokyo at-large district. She is a member of the Japanese Communist Party.

Yoshiko Kira
吉良 佳子
Member of the House of Councillors
Assumed office
29 July 2013
ConstituencyTokyo at-large district
Personal details
Born (1982-09-14) September 14, 1982 (age 42)
Kōchi, Japan
Political partyJapanese Communist Party
SpouseYuichiro Matsushima
Websitehttp://kirayoshiko.com/

Kira was born in Kōchi, the daughter of a prefectural assemblyman. She graduated from Waseda University in 2005 and worked for Takara Printing Company for four years before entering politics.[1]

She first ran in the 2009 Tokyo metropolitan assembly elections as a candidate from Toshima City, but failed to win a seat. Her next appearance was in the 2013 House of Councillors election, in which she placed third within the Tokyo at-large district, becoming the first Communist party member to win an at-large district seat in twelve years.[2] One focus of her campaign, along with that of successful JCP candidate Saori Ikeuchi, was the unstable jobs situation faced by young people.[3]

She is a member of the House of Councillors Committee on General Affairs, Special Committee on Political Ethics and Election System, and Commission on the Constitution.[1]

Her husband Yuichiro Matsushima is a member of the Meguro City assembly in Tokyo.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Ms. KIRA Yoshiko". House of Councillors. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  2. ^ Blair, Gavin (5 August 2013). "Communist Party makes a comeback ... in Japan". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  3. ^ Brasor, Philip (16 May 2015). "JCP gains ground, but not column inches". The Japan Times. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
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