Osamu Fujimura

Fujimura's impetus for going into politics came after Morihiro Hosokawa approached Yoshiomi Tamai about running for the Japan New Party in the 1993 election. Tamai declined but recommended Fujimura to run in his stead. Fujimura was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time from the third district of Osaka Prefecture. Yoshihiko Noda was first elected for the Japan New Party at the same time. Due to subsequent mergers and splits of political parties, Fujimura successively became a member of the New Frontier Party, the "Voice of the People" and the Good Governance Party, before becoming part of the Democratic Party of Japan in 1998. He gradually became a close aide to Yoshihiko Noda.^[3]

Fujimura lost his district in the 2005 election but was elected in the proportional block. He regained his district in 2009, which the DPJ won in a landslide. Fujimura became chairman of the Committee on Health, Labour and Welfare in the House of Representatives. When Naoto Kan became prime minister in June 2010, Fujimura was appointed Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs. He was moved to Senior Vice Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare in the September reshuffle. He left to become Deputy Secretary General of the DPJ in June the following year.^[2][3]

In the DPJ leadership election to succeed Naoto Kan in August 2011, Fujimura served as campaign manager for Yoshihiko Noda. When Noda was elected and became prime minister the following month Fujimura was appointed as Chief Cabinet Secretary. He concurrently served as Minister for the Abduction Issue from October 2012.^[1][3]

He lost his seat in the December 2012 election. He resigned along with the rest of the Noda Cabinet later the same month.^[4] He joined the Democratic Party for the People, and folded with the majority of the party into the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

• Official website in Japanese.