Date of birth: Dec. 22, 1945

Party: Democratic Party of Japan

Electoral district: Lower House; Nagasaki No. 1 (seventh term)

A native of Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Takaki was a dockyard worker for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. in Nagasaki before being elected to the Nagasaki Municipal Assembly in 1975, and later to the Nagasaki Prefectural Assembly.

Takaki made his debut in national politics in 1990 by winning a seat in the Lower House. He was a member of the Democratic Socialist Party and Shinshinto before joining the DPJ in 1998, later serving as vice president and Diet affairs chief.

Takaki is an advocate of cutting government waste and of measures to address the declining birthrate and the graying of society.

In the DPJ presidential election, Takaki supported Ichiro Ozawa.