Byron Chan

James Byron Chan (born 13 June 1969) is a Papua New Guinean politician. He was a People's Progress Party member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea from 2002 until 2017, representing the electorate of Namatanai Open. The son of the late former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Julius Chan, he defeated the late Ephraim Apelis at the 2002 election, and was twice re-elected before being defeated by Walter Schnaubelt at the 2017 election. Prior to his defeat, he served as Minister for Mining in the government of Peter O'Neill.

Political career Chan entered politics in the 2002 general election, winning the Namatanai Open seat as a candidate for the People's Progress Party (PPP), defeating incumbent Ephraim Apelis. He was re-elected in the 2007 and 2012 elections.

Chan lost his seat in the 2017 general election to Walter Schnaubelt.

After leaving parliament, Chan served as a director on the board of Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) from August 2018. He resigned in January 2022 to contest the 2022 general election for Namatanai Open but was again defeated by Walter Schnaubelt.

Following the death of his father, Sir Julius Chan (longtime Governor of New Ireland Province), in January 2025, major parties including Pangu Pati and PPP have endorsed Byron Chan as a candidate for the upcoming by-election for Governor of New Ireland Province.