Chief Advisor of the Tokyo LDP Chapter, Principal of the Tokyo LDP Political and Economic Academy, and Principal of the Onkochishin Academy, Takashi Fukaya

The journey of a boy who vowed to "devote his life to Japan"

■ Profile

Born in Asakusa, he experienced the end of the war in Manchuria. A year later, he returned to Japan and landed at Uragashi Port in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture. He was deeply moved by the warmth of the soil in his native Japan and the kindness of the Japanese people who welcomed him. With this in mind, he aspired to become a politician. 　
He was elected to the Taito Ward Assembly at the age of 27. After serving as a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly at the age of 33, he became a member of the House of Representatives at the age of 37. He has been elected nine times. He has served as Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Minister of Home Affairs, Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, Minister of International Trade and Industry (twice), Chairman of the Budget Committee, and Chairman of the Special Committee on Counterterrorism. He is one of the top three executives of the Liberal Democratic Party and a visiting professor at Toyo University Graduate School. 

Takashi Fukaya is a prominent politician who has held numerous positions. What was the turning point in the young boy's life that made him decide to become a politician in the future? He also says that it was a "certain ability" he developed during his student days that allowed him to realize his dream of becoming a politician... We spoke to Fukaya about his student days, when he continued to pursue his dream of becoming a politician.

■ Experiencing life-or-death tensions on a freight train in Manchuria

When I was a child, I lived with my family in Harbin, Manchukuo. This was before the end of the Greater East Asia War, so Manchuria was a really good place to live for Japanese people.
However, after Japan was defeated, the Japan-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact was unilaterally abolished, and Russian soldiers flooded in, turning Manchuria into hell. Russian soldiers entered Japanese homes with their shoes on and stole all of their property. Japanese women were also humiliated by Russian soldiers, so they all cut their hair short and pretended to be men.
A year later, it was finally decided that we would return to Japan. For about two months, tens of thousands of Japanese people walked from Manchuria to Japan, crossing fields and mountains. Occasionally, we were able to ride trains. However, these were freight trains, not designed for passengers, and were therefore uncomfortable. Furthermore, the train drivers were not Japanese, and they treated us cruelly, threatening us with money and abandoning people who got off the train to relieve themselves when it stopped. Those left behind would not have survived.
We finally arrived in Nagasaki, Japan. All the adults lay their cheeks on the ground and cried tears of joy. I was an elementary school student at the time, but like the adults, I also cried tears of joy at having returned safely to Japan. At that moment, I thought, "I want to devote my life to this country," and the three letters "politician" came to mind. From that moment on, I decided to dedicate my life to Japan as a politician in the future.

■ During his student days, he began his journey towards realizing his dream of becoming a politician

After returning to Japan, we lived in Taito Ward, Tokyo. In order to support our five children, including me, the eldest son, my father started working as a shoemaker. We didn't have a room or a desk to study, so I studied in a cupboard on the second floor. I would motivate myself by putting up a piece of paper on the wall that said, "I want to become a politician." My parents were also supportive of my dream, and my mother's words, "Takashi, become a politician!", were a great source of strength for me.
One day, my father told me, "If you want to become a politician, you should go to a high school with a debate club," so I decided to enroll in Kohoku High School, the only metropolitan high school with a debate club. I developed my speaking skills in high school, and then entered the Faculty of Law at Waseda University in order to join the oratory club, which produces many politicians.

■Practicing speeches while working part-time as a gravedigger

During my university years, I had to work to earn money for tuition, so I did a lot of part-time jobs. When I took a part-time job as a "grave digger," clearing land in a cemetery in the winter, there were 13 other students working there at first, but it was a job that required a lot of patience and physical strength, so in the end I was the only one left. Even in those circumstances, I continued to work tirelessly to become a politician, practicing speeches in front of the cemetery. I even lived on the second floor of a pachinko parlor in Fukuoka, Kyushu, to support an election. That's why I didn't even attend my Coming of Age Ceremony.
I also worked hard to found the "Tomorrow Association" at the end of my student days. At the time, there was a phenomenon known as "mass employment," in which around 40 to 50 young people came to Tokyo from the countryside and sought employment all at once. As these young people who came to find employment in groups all had various anxieties, I thought it would be a good idea to provide a place where they could support each other, and so I founded the "Tomorrow Association." This "Tomorrow Association" became the basis for my election campaign. In this way, my student life was one in which I devoted myself to working towards realizing my dream of becoming a politician and to working to make a living, rather than to studying or hanging out with friends.

From the public speaking skills he developed during his student days to his dream of becoming a politician

Graduation from university was fast approaching, and it was time for the students around me to start working, but I had already decided to run for office at the age of 27, so I didn't want to get a job. So I started preparing for the election while working a job that allowed me to be flexible with my schedule. For example, I even performed as an opening act at a lecture held by an office that represented many critics. After graduating from university, I was asked by Kaoruko Hatoyama, wife of Ichiro Hatoyama, to help found the All-Japan Women's Federation.
While working, I prepared for the election, ran as planned at age 27, and was elected for the first time to the Taito Ward Assembly, coming in 7th out of 56 candidates. I believe the biggest reasons for my election were my thorough study of political science and my public speaking skills. Starting from scratch, I expanded my supporters' organization, built a solid foundation, and spent 50 years in politics, from the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly to the National Diet. Patriotism is the foundation of my career as a politician.

■ Decide on your life plan as soon as possible

I strongly recommend that you decide on a concrete plan for your life early on. Then, talk to others about your dreams. People are more likely to put their dreams into action when they can put them into words. Take a step that will bring you closer to your dreams. It would be a waste to just go to university and think, "I had a great time at university." You only live once, so take the plunge and take a step toward your dreams while you're at university.

Interview with Student Newspaper Online on April 2, 2021 by Kokoro Sato, second-year student at Tsuda University