David Suzuki

The Honourable 	The Honourable
David Suzuki 	David Suzuki
鈴木 建太 	鈴木 建太
 	
8th Premier of TojimaElections: 1978, 1982, 1986 	8th Premier of TojimaElections: 1978, 1982, 1986
In office 	In office
21 February 1975 – 18 June 1989 	21 February 1975 – 18 June 1989
Governor 	Senzo IchiharaChuck JinBunta Matsuda
Deputy 	Sho KawataAlexander Laing
Preceded by 	Daniel Matthews
Succeeded by 	Ian Ono
8th Leader of the Opposition in Tojima 	8th Leader of the Opposition in Tojima
In office 	In office
27 May 1974 – 21 February 1975 	27 May 1974 – 21 February 1975
Premier 	Daniel Matthews
Deputy 	Sho Kawata
Preceded by 	Jerome Johnson
Succeeded by 	Daniel Matthews
5th Leader of the Tojima Social Democratic Party 	5th Leader of the Tojima Social Democratic Party
In office 	In office
27 May 1974 – 18 June 1989 	27 May 1974 – 18 June 1989
Deputy 	Sho KawataAlexander Laing
Preceded by 	Taro Matsuoka
Succeeded by 	Ian Ono
Member of the Tojima Prefectural Assemblyfor Port Newcastle	Member of the Tojima Prefectural Assemblyfor Port Newcastle
In office 	In office
5 May 1962 – 5 May 1990 	5 May 1962 – 5 May 1990
Preceded by 	Robert Hirano
Succeeded by 	Shelly Otaki
Personal details 	Personal details
Born 	Kenta David Suzuki27 April 1926Shirakawa, Dominion of Enderron
Died 	10 July 2016 (age )Shirakawa, Enderron
Political party 	Social Democrats
Spouse(s) 	Aki Suzuki (m. 1957)
Children 	2
Alma mater 	University of Wentworth
David Kenta Suzuki (born Kenta David Suzuki, Japanese: 鈴木 建太, Hepburn: Suzuki Kenta; 27 April 1926 – 10 July 2016), also referred to as D. K. Suzuki, was an Enderronian politician who served as the 8th Premier of Tojima, from 1975 to 1989, as the leader of the Tojima Social Democratic Party.
Suzuki was born in Shirakawa and raised on Harvey Island, primarily in the city of Newcastle. In early adulthood he moved to Wentworth and attended the University of Wentworth, completing a PhD. Before entering politics he worked as a journalist and news presenter. Suzuki entered the Tojima Prefectural Assembly in 1962 and became a cabinet minister following the 1970 prefectural election, serving under Chuck Jin and Taro Matsuoka until the SDP government was defeated at the 1974 prefectural election. Suzuki subsequently replaced Matsuoka as party leader, thus becoming Leader of the Opposition.
The United–TPP coalition government that was elected at the 1974 election collapsed nine months into its term; the TPP gave confidence and supply to the SDP, paving the way for Suzuki to become premier.
As premier, Suzuki was known for his support of multiculturalism, the arts, and major infrastructure projects, which he dubbed the "Building Tojima Program" (BTP). The Suzuki Government oversaw a significant expansion of the Shirakawa Metro and dual carriageways across the prefecture, and pushed for regional development in the cities of Nishihama and Newcastle to alleviate urban pressures in Shirakawa.
On the social front, Suzuki's government was socially progressive, championing multiculturalism and multilingualism, enacting anti-discrimination law (including Enderron's first anti-discrimination law protecting people with disabilities), relaxing drinking and Sunday trading laws, and enacting consumer protection laws.
Suzuki remained a highly popular premier throughout his tenure. He was re-elected three times, in 1978, 1982 and 1986, each time by significant margins; in particular the 1978 election produced the largest lopsided result in the prefecture's history. He eventually resigned in 1989 after 14 years in office. He remains the longest-serving premier of Tojima.