Hideo Higashikokubaru People's eyes develop politics. I want to create a local government where young people can have dreams.

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Hideo Higashikokubaru

Governor of Miyazaki Prefecture. Born in Miyakonojo City, Miyazaki Prefecture in 1957.

After graduating from Senshu University in 1980, he became the champion of CX's "You're Not Laughing! Comedy Guys Are Stars!". From 1998, he was suspended for one year. During his suspension, he studied hard to reflect on himself and change his values. In April 2000, he entered the School of Letters, Arts and Sciences II at Waseda University, and upon graduation, he re-entered the School of Political Science and Economics at the same university. After dropping out of the same school in 2006, he was elected in the 17th Miyazaki Prefectural Governor election the following year. His new book, "How to Connect and Prosper Japan" (co-written by Higashikokubaru Hideo and Shimada Shinsuke), is now on sale.

Childhood dream: to become a comedian and a politician

On the 23rd of last month, Hideo Higashikokubaru, the 52nd Governor of Miyazaki Prefecture, celebrated his first anniversary since taking office. He had dreamed of becoming a comedian and politician since he was a child, and after working as a comedian for 1

In 998, he was suspended from work and was not allowed to work, and during this time he had a lot of free time to think about many things. He had had something bubbling up in his heart since he was in his 30s. However, his suspension made him decide to do his best for Miyazaki, so he re-entered university and studied hard. He was then successfully elected governor of the prefecture, fulfilling both of his childhood dreams.

University life as a step towards your next dream

Surprisingly, during his time at Senshu University, he "only went to school a handful of times (laughs)." He spent his time working part-time jobs to learn about society and hanging out with friends. "For me, it didn't matter where I went to university. When I graduated from high school to university, my goal was already to become a comedian. In other words, going to Tokyo was the next step towards my dream."

When he was a student at Waseda University, he felt that some young university students, though of course not all of them, lacked a sense of discipline. "This is not just true at Waseda University, but at other universities too, but you see people typing emails, sleeping, or eating bread at the back of the desk. I started university after I was 40, so when I see someone typing emails next to me, I want to tell them off.

There was also this incident. I was trying to warn the student next to me who was typing an email, so I looked at his phone and saw that he had texted, "Sonomama Azuma is sitting next to me." I asked him, "Why would you send that?" and he replied, "So what?" (laughs)." However, he also says that the good thing about the students is that he felt encouraged that "young people have their own dreams and hopes." They are enthusiastic about culture, the arts, and their studies, and are doing their best to pursue their own paths. He felt this way when he saw such people. "Young students have not yet abandoned Japan as a country. I find it especially encouraging that they come from rural areas and are working hard to achieve something. However, I felt that there were some who came only to gain the Waseda brand. However, the difference between them and these people will become clear once they enter society. That's why I strongly believe that our role as government officials is to create a country, prefecture, and local government where children and young people can have dreams and hopes."

Bringing politics into the living room

As Governor of Miyazaki Prefecture, Higashikokubaru expressed his ambition to "create a local government that people will be glad to call home." In reality, he is working steadily to review administrative operations one by one, involving private sector involvement. This is the first such initiative in the country. "I believe that not only the public eye of the assembly, but also the eyes of the private sector are crucial. I've been criticized for appearing on TV too much, but this is my main job, even though it's less visible. I want to do my best to contribute to the pursuit of happiness for the people of Miyazaki Prefecture." Conversely, he said, he expects each and every citizen to participate in politics. His television appearances have many meanings, and he believes it's important for citizens to see what the governor is doing and "bring politics into the living rooms of their homes." "I want everyone, from children to adults, to know what the prefectural assembly and governor are doing. I believe that this is how public eyes develop politics. That's why I don't just do the nice things, I openly show everything. This should eliminate corruption."

Finally, he gave a powerful message to the students.

"You are all human assets who will be essential in supporting Japan into the future. Solidify your dreams, hopes, goals and visions, believe in yourself and work hard to achieve self-realization."

From the August 2008 issue of the Student Newspaper