Date of birth: May 22, 1941

Party: Democratic Party of Japan

Electoral district: Upper House; Okayama (fourth term)

Eda entered politics in the Upper House in 1977 and rose to become president of the chamber after the DPJ's strong victory in July 2007. He stepped down when the DPJ lost its effective control of the chamber last July.

After serving as an associate judge for nine years from 1968, Eda entered politics after the death of his father, Saburo, a recognized postwar politician who established the Japan Socialist Party, now the Social Democratic Party.

Eda switched to the Lower House from 1983 to 1996, and was state minister in charge of science and technology in the Morihiro Hosokawa Cabinet in 1993. After an unsuccessful bid for Okayama governor in 1996, he re-entered the Upper House in 1998.

Eda's vast experiences include working with Hansen's disease victims to win redress.

*Appointed to take over duties of Ryu Matsumoto (Environment Minister) June 27, 2011.