Jon Heese
Jon Heese | |
|---|---|
| ジョン・ヘイズ | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 17, 1963 Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Political party | Independent |
| Education | University of Regina |
Jon Heese (ヘイズ・ジョン, born February 17, 1963) is a Canadian-born Japanese politician. He is an Independent member of the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly (1 term). He is a former member of the Tsukuba City Council (4 terms).[1]
Heese came to Japan from Canada in 1991,[1] and after working as an English conversation teacher, he was first elected to the Tsukuba City Council in October 2008.
Biography
Heese was born in Saskatchewan, Canada, graduated from the University of Regina in 1991.[2] He married a Japanese woman in 1998, and became a naturalized citizen of Japan in 2007.[3]
Prior to entering politics, Heese worked as an English language teacher and owned a bar.[4] He has also worked as an actor, playing (fictional) American Presidents in the tokusatsu films Nihon Igai Zenbu Chinbotsu (2006) and Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit (2008). Heese stated he got the parts because casting directors noticed his resemblance to former President Bill Clinton.[4]
Political career
Heese is the third naturalized citizen from Europe or North America to become a Japanese legislator, following Marutei Tsurunen, a former member of the House of Councillors from Yugawara Town, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Anthony Bianchi, a former member of the Inuyama City Council, Aichi Prefecture.
Heese is the president of Imagineric and a member of the Tsukuba Representative Committee of the Ibaraki Foreigners' Roundtable.
In December 2014, Heese ran as an independent candidate for the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly election from the Tsukuba City electoral district, but was unsuccessful. In 2016, he was elected to the Tsukuba City Assembly for a third term.
In December 2022, Heese ran for election as a member of the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly from Tsukuba City and won.[5]
Filmography
- Nihon Igai Zenbu Chinbotsu (2006) - President Pepiton
- Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit (2008) - President Berger
See also
References
- ^ a b Kikuchi, Naoki (2022-07-16). "Foreign-born assemblymen try to make a difference | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis". The Asahi Shimbun.
- ^ Armstrong, Bill (2023-06-09). "A road less travelled". Degrees Magazine.
- ^ Arudou, Debito (2009-02-02). "Newly-elected Tsukuba City Assemblyman Jon Heese on the hows and whys of getting elected in Japan | debito.org".
- ^ a b Lam, Greg (2025-05-17). Being a Japanese Politician. Life Where I'm From. Retrieved 2025-07-05 – via YouTube.
- ^ 日本放送協会 (2022-12-12). "つくば市選挙区初当選 ヘイズジョン氏「市民に感謝」｜NHK 茨城県のニュース". NHK NEWS WEB (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2022-12-12. Retrieved 2025-07-05.