Ken Hirata

Ken Hirata
平田 研
Hirata in 2026
Governor of Nagasaki Prefecture
Incumbent
Assumed office
2 March 2026
MonarchNaruhito
Preceded byKengo Oishi
Personal details
Born (1967-10-20) 20 October 1967 (age 58)
Nagasaki, Japan
PartyIndependent
EducationUniversity of Tokyo

Ken Hirata (平田 研, Hirata Ken; born 20 October 1967) is a Japanese politician elected as the governor of Nagasaki Prefecture in the 2026 Nagasaki gubernatorial election.

Early life

Hirata graduated from Nagasaki Minami High School and then attended University of Tokyo. He graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1991 and joined the Ministry of Construction the same year.

Political career

He was appointed as a vice-governor for Nagasaki Prefecture in by Hōdō Nakamura in 2018 until 2022. He was reappointed in 2022 by Kengo Oishi and served until 2023 when he was replaced by Nagasaki Prefecture's first female vice-governor. He ran for election in 2026 as an independent and defeated the incumbent Kengo Oishi.

References

  1. ↑ "Former vice governor defeats incumbent in Nagasaki election". The Japan Times. 9 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  2. ↑ "プロフィール". 平田 研 公式サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  3. 1 2 "平田研副知事 再任へ 長崎・大石知事 女性登用は見送り - 長崎新聞 2022/06/28 [11:10] 公開". 長崎新聞社 (in Japanese). 28 June 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  4. ↑ "長崎県初の女性副知事 馬場氏に辞令 「先遣隊として道を踏み固めたい」 - 長崎新聞 2023/07/07 [10:11] 公開". 長崎新聞社 (in Japanese). 7 July 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  5. ↑ "Ken Hirata elected as new governor in Japan's Nagasaki prefecture". GGRAsia. 9 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.