He is a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet, or national legislature, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

A native of Beppu, Ōita, Takeshi Iwaya graduated from the School of Political Science and Economics at Waseda University.

[citation needed] Iwaya was elected to the assembly of Ōita Prefecture in 1987 (serving for one term), and to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1990 as an independent.

After losing his seat in 1993, he ran unsuccessfully for the house in 1996 but was re-elected in 2000.

[1] Iwaya was named to the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs in September 2024.