Member of the House of Representatives Makiko Kikuta

Towards a society where no one is left behind

■ Profile

Born in 1969, he graduated from Niigata Prefectural Kamo High School and studied abroad at Heilongjiang University in China. In 1995, he was first elected to the Kamo City Council at the age of 25, the youngest member in the country. In 2003, he was first elected to the House of Representatives from Niigata 4th District, and has since been re-elected for six consecutive terms, serving in positions such as Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the House of Representatives Special Committee on Okinawa and Northern Territories Issues. He currently serves as a director on the House of Representatives Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Committee and as deputy chief secretary of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. His favorite foods are curry rice and mapo tofu (very spicy).

One woman who had no intention of becoming a politician ended up embarking on the path to becoming one. What was her starting point, and where did her motivation come from? We asked her about the activities she has undertaken as a politician to save as many people as possible, and her outlook for the future.

■Studying in China greatly broadened my perspective

After graduating from high school, I spent two years studying Chinese at Heilongjiang University in China. To me, China at the time seemed both close and distant, a mysterious country, large yet underdeveloped. This interest led me to study abroad in China. Unlike today, China at the time was poor and underdeveloped. Life there was difficult and challenging. Furthermore, there was little exchange between China and Japan, with only about 10 Japanese students studying abroad. At first, I was bewildered by the differences in personalities between Chinese and Japanese. I initially felt unable to like them because of the differences in the sense of distance between people and the way they communicate. However, over time, I learned how to interact with people who think differently and how to embrace each other's differences. This experience opened my eyes to many different values. Upon returning to Japan, I once again realized what a blessed country Japan is. Every day, commentators on news programs make a variety of statements, but this is only possible because of freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Back then, this was completely unheard of in China. By going to China, I was able to discover the good things that I would not have noticed if I had stayed in Japan.

■ I had no interest in politics, but I decided to become a politician

After returning from my studies abroad, I opened a Chinese language school and volunteered to support foreigners. At the time, local areas were exclusive and unaccustomed to foreigners. While working to support international marriages and foreigners coming to work, I noticed that the government's response was far too slow and unacceptable. I felt I needed to take a more hands-on role in changing this. With the support of those around me, I became a city council member at age 25. At the time, there was only one woman, so it became a hot topic. I won first place and became a city council member, but entering politics I witnessed discrimination against women, something I had never experienced before. After serving five years as a city council member, I faced an environment of discrimination and bullying, before taking on the challenge of national politics. After winning the national election, a senior told me, "The job of a first-term member is to become a second-term member." In the case of the House of Representatives, elections are uncertain. During my first and second term, I would return to my hometown and campaign whenever I had time, rather than discussing policies, in order to win the next election.

■ Real-life experiences are the key to saving as many people as possible

After gaining experience and being elected multiple times, I became involved in a variety of policies and jobs. During the Democratic Party administration, I served as Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs. I represented the Japanese government in Africa, Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, and other countries, and engaged in various diplomatic negotiations. Even then, as a female Parliamentary Vice-Minister, many people worried about my work. However, I felt frustrated by being criticized for being a woman, so I took the initiative to do my job. When I traveled, the local people welcomed a young female Parliamentary Vice-Minister from Japan, and we had friendly conversations. I also traveled to Myanmar, which has been under military rule since the time of the war, and met with Aung San Suu Kyi. I conveyed the Japanese government's intentions to her. These assignments were valuable and rewarding experiences for me. I also feel joy in being able to contribute by focusing on the realities of those truly in need and working to improve the law. After learning that there are many cases in which existing laws do not provide assistance in the event of a disaster, I even initiated a parliamentary bill to amend the Disaster Victims' Livelihood Reconstruction Support Act. Furthermore, there is currently a lack of support for foreign workers in Japan amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With regard to issues like these, I have experience as a volunteer supporting foreigners, which makes it easier for me to speak persuasively in the Diet. I feel that my many experiences have broadened my horizons as a politician and are still useful to me today.

■ Toward a society in which women can more easily enter the world of politics

I want to create a more diverse political world, aiming for an era in the future where ordinary people can easily enter the world of politics with a sense of awareness of various issues. Currently, 1% of members of the House of Representatives are women. This figure has hardly changed since women first gained the right to vote after the war. The number of seats held by women is overwhelmingly low and is not increasing. Reasons for the difficulty in increasing the number of female lawmakers include the fact that election campaigning is a physically demanding challenge, financial issues, and the difficulty in gaining family consent. I believe that rather than waiting for the number to increase naturally, it is very important to create an entry point. I believe that the current situation will not change unless we provide support for political activities and enact laws requiring 3 to 4% of lawmakers to be women.

■Please give us a message for university students

I hope that university students will continue to learn and think about issues that interest them. Furthermore, I believe that being able to communicate this could be a gateway to politics. Even if they fail, I hope that they will use what they have learned from the experience as fuel to get back up. In my experience, I have rarely learned something the easy way; the things I have accomplished through struggle are things that I have remembered even after many years. Even if something is difficult now and you want to give up, I believe that if you persevere a little longer and continue, it will definitely become an asset to you.

Student Newspaper WEB February 18, 2021 Interview by Bunkyo University 2nd year student Suzuka Sakamoto