House of Representatives speaker Tadamori Oshima said Thursday he will not run in Japan's upcoming general election, bringing an end to a nearly four-decade career as a lawmaker.
The 74-year-old, long a respected figure in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, cited his age as the reason for his retirement, saying at a press conference in Hachinohe, his hometown in his constituency in Aomori Prefecture, that he wants to "leave it up to the next generation."
Oshima was appointed as speaker of the powerful lower house of parliament in April 2015, becoming the longest holder of the office last December including periods prior to World War II.
During that time he led discussions on legislation enabling former Emperor Akihito to become the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in more than 200 years and worked to reduce vote disparity.
Born and raised in Hachinohe, Oshima studied law at Keio University in Tokyo before working for several years at the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper and as a member of the Aomori prefectural assembly.
He won a seat in the House of Representatives in 1983 and has served 12 terms, during which he has been deputy chief Cabinet secretary, farm minister, LDP secretary general and LDP vice president.
Oshima's decision not to run in the general election adds to a list of retiring LDP veterans including former lower house speaker Bunmei Ibuki, 83, election strategy chief Taimei Yamaguchi, 72, and former health minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki, 70.
