Kazuo Kitagawa

Kazuo Kitagawa
北側一雄
Kitagawa in 2022
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
In office 27 September 2004 – 26 September 2006
Prime Minister	Junichiro Koizumi
Preceded by	Nobuteru Ishihara
Succeeded by	Tetsuzo Fuyushiba
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 17 December 2012 – 9 October 2024
Preceded by	Hiroyuki Moriyama
Succeeded by	Vacant
Constituency	Osaka 16th district
In office 19 February 1990 – 21 July 2009
Succeeded by	Hiroyuki Moriyama
Constituency	Osaka 5th district (1990–1996) Osaka 16th district (1996–2009)
Personal details
Born	(1953-03-02) 2 March 1953 (age 71) Ikuno-ku, Osaka, Japan
Political party	Komeito
Alma mater	Sōka University

Kazuo Kitagawa (北側 一雄, Kitagawa Kazuo, born March 2, 1953) is a retired Japanese politician who served as the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in the Cabinet of Junichiro Koizumi.^[1]

Born in Ikuno-ku, Osaka, Kitagawa graduated from Faculty of Law at Sōka University and became a lawyer. In 1990, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time and was appointed as the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2004.^[1]

He was the general secretary of New Komeito when the party suffered a major defeat in the 2009 Japanese general election. New Komeito lost ten seats, including Kitagawa's and that of party leader Akihiro Ota. On 8 September 2009 Yoshihisa Inoue replaced Kitagawa as general secretary of New Komeito.^[2] Notwithstanding the loss of his seat, Kitagawa became deputy president of the party.

Kitagawa regained his seat representing the Osaka 16th district (representing Sakai-ku, Higashi-ku and Kita-ku in Sakai City) in the 2012 general election, and held the seat in the 2014 general election. On 9 October 2024, he announced his retirement from politics and would not run in the 2024 general election.^[3]