is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature).
A native of Hyōgo Prefecture and graduate of Waseda University, he joined the Ministry of Justice in 1970, passing the bar exam in the same year. In 1975, he entered a law school at University of Washington and after graduation worked at a law firm in Los Angeles for three years. Returning to Japan in 1980, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 2007.