:Kenji Eda

{{Infobox Officeholder

|name = Kenji Eda

|native_name = {{nobold|江田憲司}}

|native_name_lang = ja

|image = Kenji Eda Sakado 20141203 crop.jpg

|caption = Kenji Eda in 2014

|office = Member of the House of Representatives

|primeminister =

|term_start = 11 September 2005

|term_end =

|predecessor = Tetsundo Iwakuni

|successor =

|constituency = Kanagawa 8th

|term_start1 = 28 October 2002

|term_end1 = 10 October 2003

|predecessor1 = Hiroshi Nakada

|successor1 = Tetsundo Iwakuni

|constituency1 = Kanagawa 8th

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|4|28|df=y}}

|birth_place = Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = CDP{{cite news |last= Reidy |first= Gearoid |date= 29 October 2021 |title= Japan Opposition Suggests, Then Denies, Taxing Tax-Free Accounts |url= https://uk.news.yahoo.com/japan-opposition-suggests-then-denies-053930756.html |work= Bloomberg (via Yahoo! news) |access-date= 9 November 2021}}

|otherparty = {{plainlist|

LDP (2000–2002)
Independent (2002–2009)
Your (2009–2013)
Unity (2013–2014)
JIP (2014–2016)
DP (2016–2017)}}

|alma_mater = University of Tokyo

|website = {{URL|www.eda-k.net}}

}}

{{nihongo|Kenji Eda|江田憲司|Eda Kenji|born 28 April 1956}} is a Japanese politician and member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Okayama Prefecture and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1979, attending the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University in the United States while in the ministry. Leaving the government in 1998, he ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives in 2000 as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He ran again in 2002 as an independent, and was elected for the first time. He lost his seat in 2003, but was re-elected in 2005.

He was a member of Your Party from its foundation in 2009 to 2013. On August 7, 2013, he was demoted from the secretary-general by party leader Yoshimi Watanabe due to disagreements in political policies. He left Your Party on December 9, 2013, along with thirteen other members, and announced the formation of a new party known as the Unity Party.{{cite news|title=Eda names new party Yui no To|url=http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/eda-names-new-party-yui-no-to|accessdate=14 January 2014|newspaper=Japan Today|date=18 December 2013}} He stated that his goal was to "change Japan by abolishing bureaucracy-led politics, fighting vested interests and breaking the centralization of power." Your Party challenged Eda's withdrawal by ordering the resignation of the defectors.{{cite news|last=Mie|first=Ayako|date=18 December 2013|title=Defectors from Your Party form new opposition force|newspaper=The Japan Times|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/12/18/national/politics-diplomacy/defectors-from-your-party-form-new-opposition-force/|access-date=15 May 2021|accessdate=}}

In 2014 he joined the Japan Innovation Party, which merged with other parties to create the Democratic Party in early 2016.

He is currently a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP). He expressed interest in possibly running in the 2024 CDP leadership election against incumbent party leader Kenta Izumi.{{cite web |title=Ex-main opposition CDPJ chief Yukio Edano eyes comeback in leadership race |url=https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240821/p2g/00m/0na/040000c |website=mainichi |publisher=The Mainichi |access-date=22 August 2024}} He eventually decided against running, agreeing instead to back candidate Harumi Yoshida.{{cite web |title=Main opposition CDP kicks off leadership race |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/09/07/japan/politics/cdp-leadership-race/ |website=japantimes |publisher=Jiji Press |access-date=9 September 2024}}