16 Facts About Kenji Utsunomiya

Kenji Utsunomiya is a Japanese lawyer and former chair of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations.

Kenji Utsunomiya spent much of his career helping debtors overcome the burden of multiple loans.

Kenji Utsunomiya was the head of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations from 2010 to 2012, and ran for Governor of Tokyo in the 2012,2014 and 2020 gubernatorial elections.

Kenji Utsunomiya's father was a disabled Second World War veteran who took up farming after the war, who worked extremely long hours to support his family.

Kenji Utsunomiya was accepted into Tokyo University in 1968 but quit after he passed his bar exam, for which he studied about 100 hours a week.

Kenji Utsunomiya was elected as the president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations in April 2010.

Kenji Utsunomiya was a candidate in the 2012 Tokyo gubernatorial election.

Kenji Utsunomiya announced his candidacy on November 9,2012, after long-term Governor Shintaro Ishihara suddenly resigned to return to national politics ahead of the then-looming next general election.

Kenji Utsunomiya stated that he wanted to improve support for the less fortunate of Tokyo by expanding employment opportunities and providing improved welfare and medical care.

Kenji Utsunomiya ran as an independent, as is traditional for most candidates for governorships in Japan.

Kenji Utsunomiya was however endorsed by the Japanese Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the Tomorrow Party of Japan.

Kenji Utsunomiya ultimately came second in the election, gaining 968,960 votes.

Kenji Utsunomiya was the first candidate to enter the 2014 Tokyo gubernatorial election following Inose's resignation due to a financial scandal.

Kenji Utsunomiya was again endorsed by the Japanese Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party.

Kenji Utsunomiya came in second place with 982,595 votes, with victory going to Yoichi Masuzoe with 2,112,979 votes.

Kenji Utsunomiya ran again as an independent in the 2020 Tokyo gubernatorial election on July 5,2020, and was considered the main opposition candidate in the race after winning the endorsements of the Constitutional Democratic Party, the Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party.