Koichi Hagiuda

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Koichi Hagiuda (萩生田光一 Hagiuda Kouichi, born August 31, 1963) is a Japanese politician, currently representing the 24th district (Hachiōji) of Tokyo in the House of Representatives of Japan as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He currently heads the Youth Division of the LDP.

Born and raised in Hachiōji, Hagiuda graduated from Waseda Jitsugyo High School, and Meiji University with a degree in commerce.

While still a university student, Hagiuda began working as an aide to Ryuichi Kurosu, the current mayor of Hachiōji. In 1991, at the age of 27, he won a seat in the Hachiōji City Assembly, becoming the youngest candidate ever to do so. He then ran successfully for a seat in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly in 2002, serving part of one term. In 2004, he ran for a seat in the House of Representatives of Japan, which he won. Hagiuda then won re-election in the 2005 general election by a large margin.

Hagiuda is known as a conservative within the LDP, and is closely allied with former prime ministers Shinzo Abe and Yoshiro Mori. He belongs to the Machimura Faction (formerly the Mori Faction) of the LDP.

[edit] Personal

Hagiuda is married, and has one daughter and one son. His hobbies include sports such as baseball, rugby, and golf. He also enjoys watching movies, holding a movie-viewing event annually in conjunction with his personal support group, or koenkai. His personal website also lists "eating while walking" as a hobby, calling him a "self-proclaimed gourmet", and also mentions his frequent enjoyment of after-meal ramen.