Kazuo Kitagawa

Kazuo Kitagawa
北側一雄
Kitagawa in 2022
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
In office
27 September 2004  26 September 2006
Prime MinisterJunichiro Koizumi
Preceded byNobuteru Ishihara
Succeeded byTetsuzo Fuyushiba
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
17 December 2012  9 October 2024
Preceded byHiroyuki Moriyama
Succeeded byMasaki Kuroda
ConstituencyOsaka 16th
In office
19 February 1990  21 July 2009
Preceded byMulti-member district
Succeeded byHiroyuki Moriyama
ConstituencyOsaka 5th (1990–1996)
Osaka 16th (1996–2009)
Personal details
Born (1953-03-02) 2 March 1953
Ikuno-ku, Osaka, Japan
Political partyKomeito
Alma materSōka University

Kazuo Kitagawa (北側 一雄, Kitagawa Kazuo, born March 2, 1953) is a retired Japanese politician who served as the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in the Cabinet of Junichiro Koizumi.

Born in Ikuno-ku, Osaka, Kitagawa graduated from Faculty of Law at Sōka University and became a lawyer. In 1990, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time and was appointed as the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2004.

He was the general secretary of New Komeito when the party suffered a major defeat in the 2009 Japanese general election. New Komeito lost ten seats, including Kitagawa's and that of party leader Akihiro Ota. On 8 September 2009 Yoshihisa Inoue replaced Kitagawa as general secretary of New Komeito. Notwithstanding the loss of his seat, Kitagawa became deputy president of the party.

Kitagawa regained his seat representing the Osaka 16th district (representing Sakai-ku, Higashi-ku and Kita-ku in Sakai City) in the 2012 general election, and held the seat in the 2014 general election. On 9 October 2024, he announced his retirement from politics and would not run in the 2024 general election.