Junichi Kanda
Japanese male businessman and politician (1970-)

Junichi Kanda
神田 潤一
Official portrait, 2025
Member of the House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 2, 2021[1]
Preceded byTadamori Ōshima
ConstituencyAomori 2nd
Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Justice [ja]
In office
November 13, 2024 – October 21, 2025
Preceded byHideyuki Nakano
Succeeded byFukuyama no kami [ja]
Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Cabinet Office
In office
September 15, 2023 – 2024
Personal details
Born (1970-09-27) September 27, 1970 (age 55)
Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan
PartyLiberal Democratic
RelativesShigeo Kanda [ja] (Great-grandfather, mayor of Hachinohe)
Yoichi Kanda (Father, Hachinohe City Council)
Alma materFaculty of Economics, University of Tokyo
OccupationPolitician
WebsiteOfficial Website

Junichi Kanda (神田 潤一) (born September 27, 1970) is a Japanese politician and businessman. He is a member of the House of Representatives (for two terms) belonging to the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Kanda has served as Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Justice [ja], Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Cabinet Office, Bank of Japan official, and Financial Services Agency official.

Early life

Kanda was born September 27, 1970 in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture.[2] His paternal ancestral line is descended from the Tonan branch of the Aizu Domain of samurai warriors.[3] Kanda's great-grandfather was Shigeo Kanda [ja], the three-term mayor of mayor of Hachinohe 1929-1942. His father was Yoichi Kanda, who served as a Hachinohe City Council member and chairman of the 38th District of the Japanese Communist Party.[3]

After graduating from Aomori Prefectural Hachinohe High School, he entered the University of Tokyo and graduated from the Faculty of Economics in 1994, joining the Bank of Japan in the same year.[4] He received a master's degree in economincs from Yale University in 2000.[5]

Career

Kanda worked in Bank of Japan from 1994 to 2017. He then temporarily worked at Nippon Life Insurance Company where he was in charge of investment risk management from 2011 to 2012. Afterwards, he worked the Financial Services Agency from 2015 to 2017, where he was involved in research and policy planning related to the advancement of Japan's payment systems and infrastructure. Kanda joined Money Forward on November 29, 2017 and became an executive officer. He left Money Forward on August 31, 2021.[5][6]

In August 2021, following the retirement of Oshima Tadashi, Kanda became the head of the Liberal Democratic Party's Aomori 2nd District branch.[2][7] On October 31, 2021, he was first elected to the House of Representatives in the 49th general election. In February 2022, he joined the Kōchikai faction of the LDP, which was officially dissolved in 2024.[8]

The LDP presidential election was announced on September 12, 2024, with two candidates from the former Kishida faction, Yoshimasa Hayashi and Yoko Kamikawa, running. Around 10:30 PM on September 26, the day before the election, the Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported that Tarō Asō had instructed his faction members to support Sanae Takaichi from the first round of voting.[9] On the morning of September 27, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, anticipating Takaichi's likely survival in the runoff election, issued a command to members of the former Kishida faction, saying, "In the runoff election, vote for anyone other than Takaichi. Please cast your vote for the candidate with the most party member votes."[10] Takaichi received 72 votes in the first round of voting, far exceeding the 30-40 votes predicted by various media outlets in advance.[11] Although she received the most votes, including the number of party members, she lost to Shigeru Ishiba in the runoff election. Kanda voted for Shinjirō Koizumi in the first round of voting, and for Ishiba in the runoff election.[12]

On September 15, 2023 – 2024 he began serving as Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Cabinet Office, a position he held until 2024.[13] On October 27, 2024, he was re-elected for a second term in the 50th general election for the House of Representatives.[14] On November 13 of the same year, he was appointed Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Justice in the second Ishiba Cabinet.[15][16] On September 5, 2025, he appeared on the TV program "Hodo 1930" and revealed his intention to submit a letter on the September 8 requesting that the party presidential election be brought forward.[17][18]

Kanda was one of Shinjirō Koizumi's supporters in the LDP presidential election announced on September 22, 2025.[19]

Political funds

In 2024, it was discovered that the LDP branch headed by Kanda had not included a 1 million yen donation from the former Kishida faction in its political funding report. Kanda apologized and said he would correct the mistake within a few days.[20]

Affiliated organizations and parliamentary associations

Election history

References

  1. ^ 令和3年11月2日青森県選挙管理委員会告示第59号 [Aomori Prefectural Election Commission Notice No. 59] (in Japanese). November 2, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "【大島氏引退】後継に神田潤一氏推挙の意向　元日銀職員、八戸市出身" [Oshima retires: Intention to recommend Junichi Kanda as successor, former Bank of Japan employee, native of Hachinohe City]. Tohoku News (in Japanese). August 13, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  3. ^ a b To-o Nippo Newspaper (東奥日報社), ed. (1969). 『青森県人名大事典』 [Aomori Prefecture Biographical Dictionary] (in Japanese). Antique Books. pp. 166–167. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  4. ^ "Junichi Kanda, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Justice, Japan". GTFN Forum. 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Executive Officer, Money Forward, Inc". Fino Lab. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  6. ^ "神田潤一, マネーフォワード 執行役員" [Junichi Kanda, Executive Officer, Money Forward]. Money Forward. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  7. ^ "神田氏が出馬表明／大島氏後継で、衆院2区" [Kanda announces his candidacy - Successor to Oshima, House of Representatives 2nd District]. To-o Nippo Newspaper (in Japanese). August 17, 2021. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  8. ^ "自民・神田氏が岸田派加入　単独第４派閥に" [LDP's Kanda joins Kishida faction, becoming the fourth largest faction]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). February 8, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  9. ^ "＜独自＞自民・麻生副総裁が高市氏支持へ、麻生派議員にも指示　1回目から" [LDP Vice President Aso to support Takaichi, instructing Aso faction lawmakers to do the same from the first election]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). September 26, 2024.
  10. ^ "「結局派閥 再生遠く 岸田首相が指示『決選は高市氏以外に』」" [Faction revival far off after all, Prime Minister Kishida orders 'No one other than Takaichi in runoff election']. Chunichi Shimbun (in Japanese). September 28, 2024.
  11. ^ Endo, Shuhei; Sonobe, Hitoshi; Takahashi, Yuki (September 27, 2024). "麻生、安倍派は「消極的支持」で広がり欠く　決選投票で敗れた高市氏" [Aso and Abe factions fail to gain traction due to passive support; Takaichi loses in runoff election]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  12. ^ Noda, Yusuke; Unuma, Teruto; Watanabe, Kohei; Eko, Ryoji (September 28, 2024). "自民総裁選、青森県内の党員票も石破氏が1位に　野党は警戒" [In the LDP presidential election, Ishiba also tops party member votes in Aomori Prefecture, raising concerns among opposition parties]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  13. ^ "List of Parliamentary Vice-Ministers". Prime Minister's Office of Japan. January 31, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  14. ^ "青森２区 衆議院選挙" [Aomori 2nd District House of Representatives Election]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  15. ^ "List of Parliamentary Vice-Ministers". Prime Minister's Office of Japan. November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  16. ^ "第２次石破内閣 大臣政務官名簿" [List of Parliamentary Vice-Ministers of the Second Ishiba Cabinet] (in Japanese). Prime Minister's Office of Japan. November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  17. ^ "来週月曜日に何が起きるのか／石破総理の決断は…「解散」「辞任」「出馬」？【9月5日(金) #報道1930" [What will happen next Monday? Prime Minister Ishiba's decision... "Dissolution," "Resignation," "Run for office"? [Friday, September 5th #Report 1930]. TBS News (in Japanese).
  18. ^ "神田政務官、総裁選前倒し「もう名前書いた」" [Parliamentary Vice-Minister Kanda: "I've already written my name" on bringing forward the presidential election]. To-o Nippo Newspaper (in Japanese). September 6, 2025. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  19. ^ "神田衆院議員、小泉氏が総裁選出馬なら支持" [Lower House member Kanda will support Koizumi if he runs in the presidential election]. To-o Nippo Newspaper (in Japanese). September 9, 2025. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  20. ^ "神田潤一衆議院議員が代表の自民党支部　旧岸田派からの寄付金100万円を政治資金収支報告書に不記載で陳謝「裏金にしようという意図があったわけではない」　数日中に報告書を訂正予定" [Junichi Kanda, a member of the House of Representatives, apologized for not reporting a 1 million yen donation from the former Kishida faction in his political funding report. "There was no intention to turn it into slush funds." The report...]. TBS News (in Japanese). December 4, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  21. ^ "政務調査会（部会・調査会・特別委員会等）" [Policy Research Council (Subcommittees, Research Committees, Special Committees, etc.] (PDF) (in Japanese). Policy Research Council. June 7, 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
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