Toshimi Kitazawa

Toshimi Kitazawa is a previous Japanese defence minister. He is a politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet. A native of Nagano, Nagano and graduate of Waseda University, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1992 after serving in the assembly of Nagano Prefecture for five terms. He had joined the Democratic Party of Japan in 1998. On 16 September 2009; Kitazawa was appointed as the Minister of Defence by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. He was re-appointed by Prime Minister Naoto Kan in the cabinet shift, and was the Minister of Defence until 2 September 2011.