Kenta Izumi, the new leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, was elected on promises to rebuild the party with more younger representatives, especially at the local level, in an attempt to win over a new generation of voters.
But Izumi’s relative youth and lack of deep government experience could make dealing with older, more experienced politicians in the ruling and opposition parties more difficult as the party seeks to become a stronger force in parliament.
Izumi, 47 and a former secretary to Upper House CDP veteran Tetsuro Fukuyama, entered politics in 2003 as a representative for Kyoto's 3rd district, which is made up of southern portions of the city, and served in the Cabinet Office from 2009 to 2010 while the Democratic Party of Japan was in power.
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