Member of the House of Representatives, Yuko Obuchi

Following in the footsteps of his father, whom he admired from a young age, he entered the world of politics.

■ Profile

Born in 1973. Graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Seijo University. Completed the Graduate School of Public Management at Waseda University. After working for Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) and as a secretary to a member of the House of Representatives, he ran for the first time in the general election for the House of Representatives in Gunma's 5th district in 2000 at the age of 26 following the sudden death of his father, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, and was elected. He has been elected for seven consecutive terms since then. In 2008, he first joined the cabinet as Minister in charge of Measures for Declining Birthrate. He has previously served as Deputy Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. He is currently Chairman of the LDP's Okinawa Development Research Committee.

"I never thought about becoming a politician."
So said Yuko Obuchi cheerfully. In fact, before she became a member of parliament, Obuchi made the biggest decision of her life and took a surprising path. So how did she get to where she is today? We spoke to Obuchi, who continues to be active as a member of parliament while raising her children, in detail about how she became a politician and her future prospects.

My university life revolved around sports club activities. I joined the golf club in high school and spent my entire college years immersed in golf. To be honest, I was not very good at sports from a young age. So, because golf isn't a team sport and doesn't cause trouble for others, I began to think that even I could do it. Ultimately, the benefits of playing golf were: First, it increased my interactions with students from other universities. Second, I served as vice captain, gaining experience in managing a large team. This experience taught me the difficulty of running an organization. After graduating from university, I joined TBS. I chose the media industry because I wanted to communicate human relationships and useful information through sports, and because I was interested in the world of mass media, often referred to as the fourth power. My father was a former prime minister, and at the time, politicians were always criticized in the media. Living with my father, I witnessed him working tirelessly, thinking deeply about his community and country. I think this is why I wanted to enter the television industry and see my father from the media's perspective.

■ At first, I thought I wouldn't become a politician.

While I was working at TBS, the LDP presidential election was underway, and my father was running, but he was the least popular candidate. Unable to simply leave my father alone, I felt a strong desire to support him, so I left TBS after three years and joined his office as his secretary. After a year as his secretary, I decided to study in the UK in preparation for the Okinawa Summit, scheduled for the summer of 2000. However, while I was in the UK, I received word that my father had collapsed. I immediately returned to Japan, and upon arriving at the airport, I read in the Japanese newspaper that my father was in a coma. Tears flowing, I read the rest, and it also said that "Yuko will be his successor." It's true that I attended local events in Gunma in his place, so it was no surprise that local people expressed such concerns. I was deeply troubled. Born into a political family and having watched my father's work, I was well aware of the difficulties and heavy responsibilities of being a politician. For this reason, I never considered becoming a member of parliament, and I also thought that hereditary politicians were not a good idea because they would take away opportunities from others. To be honest, becoming a politician comes with great responsibility, so I was scared, and I thought there might be easier paths. However, I thought that choosing not to become a politician at this point would be like running away. After much consideration, I decided to put an end to this biggest decision of my life and "take over." And so, like my father, I became a member of parliament at the age of 26.

■ Thinking about the future and solving mid- to long-term problems

I believe that one of Japan's most important challenges today is its declining birthrate. Eight years into my term as a Diet member, I became Minister of State for Measures to Address the Declining Birthrate. At the time, the declining birthrate was generally seen as a problem for women and children, and there was no budget for such measures. Furthermore, there was still a sense of pity for working women and their children. Therefore, I created the "Safe Children's Fund" with a budget of approximately 100 billion yen to establish a system that would allow women to raise their children with peace of mind. I believe this was the first time a budget was allocated to address the declining birthrate. More than 10 years have passed since then, and while there are still challenges, I feel that the working environment for women and childcare issues are gradually improving. Furthermore, since I joined the Diet at a young age and have been able to serve in the Diet for a long time, I would like to tackle medium- to long-term issues as well. One example is fiscal policy. While it is said that Japan has a large debt load, I believe that having debt is not necessarily a bad thing for the country; rather, I believe that it is necessary to control and repay it. We must ensure that the burden of this debt issue, including the current one, is not passed on to future generations. Energy policy is also an important issue. It is obvious that Japan has few natural resources, but there is no doubt that despite its limited resources, it is a country that can take pride in its technology, and I believe that Japan can take the lead in the world in greening. I would like to work on resolving issues with a long-term perspective so that Japan can secure its energy supply without relying on supplies from overseas in the future.

■ Providing more opportunities for citizens to be exposed to politics

Recently, I feel like there's a disconnect between the current situation of the general public and what politics is doing. It's true that when you hear the news through the mass media, there are times when you feel uneasy about a policy, such as a consumption tax hike. However, when we think about the future and future generations, there are many things we need to do now. Issues like finances, energy, and population are particularly mid- to long-term issues, and public understanding is essential. To narrow this gap going forward, politicians must first provide explanations that the public can understand. Additionally, I would like to create a more supportive relationship between the public and politics by increasing the number of forums where the public can debate and the opportunities for choice.

■Message to university students

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has restricted our daily activities, I hope that you will take advantage of the freedom you have as a student to go to many different places, meet many different people, and simply have as many experiences as possible. This is not limited to your studies, but also to increase the number of opportunities that make your heart tremble, whether through joy or sadness. These experiences will accumulate and will surely help you resolve any major decisions you may be forced to make in the future or when you come up against a tall wall. And since it is undoubtedly up to you to create your own future, it is up to you to live a happy life as a result. That is why I believe it is so important to think positively about everything. Keep your mind as calm and happy as possible! This will lead to a brighter tomorrow for you.

Student Newspaper WEB February 18, 2021 Interview by Keio University 1st year student Miyu Ito