Date of birth: Oct. 6, 1945

Party: New Komeito

Electoral district: Lower House; Tokyo No. 12 (sixth term)

Ota, an Aichi native, was first elected to the Lower House in 1993. He became president of New Komeito — the LDP's junior coalition partner — in 2006, replacing Takenori Kanzaki.

In the 2009 general election, New Komeito suffered a major defeat along with the LDP, losing power to the DPJ. Ota himself lost his Diet seat, giving the party no choice but to appoint Natsuo Yamaguchi as party leader.

After earning a master's in engineering at Kyoto University, Ota worked for Komei Shimbun, New Komeito's newspaper, for a year and a half.

Since becoming a politician in 1993, he has pushed for reinforcing the quake-resistance of elementary and junior high schools. He also backs further development in Tokyo's Kita and Adachi wards, his poll district.