Komeito Member of the House of Representatives, Noriko Furuya

Where there's a will, there's a way. If you act with ambition, society will change.

■ Profile

Born in Urawa City, Saitama Prefecture (now Saitama City) in 1956. Graduated from the Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University.
Deputy leader of the Komeito Party. Chairperson of the Women's Committee. Former State Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare. Former Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications.
First elected in 2003 from the South Kanto proportional representation block. Currently serving her sixth term. Has worked hard to pass the Elderly Abuse Prevention Act and the Basic Act on Hepatitis Countermeasures. As the party's women's committee chair, she is working to create an environment where women can shine. Disaster prevention specialist.

Noriko Furuya says that we must not allow the absence of lawmakers who speak out and put forward policies, or for policies to be set back. We spoke to her about her efforts in enacting many laws, including those dealing with allergies, poverty, vaccinations, and dementia.

■ During my student days, I had more motivation to study than anyone else

I graduated from Waseda University's School of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Department of English Literature. I remember struggling with French, my second foreign language, during my first and second years of university. There were a lot of classes, and the content was difficult. I particularly struggled with verb conjugation. I also had aspirations of becoming a teacher, so I took a teacher training course and attended classes at a language research institute. I think I was a student with more motivation than most.
During my first and second years at university, I was in a club that traveled around the country. By traveling, I was able to experience the atmosphere of each region and the good things about Japan all over the country. Even now, when I visit art museums around the country, I make time to "face the paintings" in front of the paintings. For me, that time is an important, "enriched time."
When I was a student, I didn't have any clear plans to become a politician. However, I had a strong desire to do something for society, even if it was just to leave a mark. I think that's why I was a student who often discussed social issues.

From child-rearing and community activities to becoming a politician

After graduating from university, I got a job in publishing, which I had always been interested in, and started my career by promoting books, making posters, and being involved in book production. I didn't go so far as to do anything specifically for society, but I decided to "work hard!" and worked hard in my 20s.
I then got married in my late 20s and gave birth in my 30s. I also had to move house and many other changes in my life. So I decided to quit my job and become involved in Komeito Party activities in my local area. As I have children myself, I was interested in and active in issues such as child-rearing, children's health, and allergies. In 2003, I was asked if I would like to become a candidate for the House of Representatives. It was a bolt from the blue for me, but fortunately, with the support of my husband, I was able to make the decision and enter the world of politics.
I've been a politician for 18 years. It's been a blink of an eye, but I feel that I've only been able to get this far thanks to the warm support of my family and staff.

■Currently, one in two people suffer from allergies

At the time, I was working with NPOs and other private individuals and experts on allergies, targeting 140,000 people, and so immediately after becoming a member of the Diet, I began working on measures to combat allergic diseases. The survey at the time showed that one in three people were suffering from some kind of disease. However, the situation was worsening, with results showing that nearly one in two people, especially the younger generation, were suffering from allergic diseases.
To achieve this, we first created guidelines on how to deal with allergies in schools and daycare centers. Furthermore, the most frightening thing about allergies is that they can cause anaphylactic shock, which can lead to death. In the event of anaphylactic shock, it is important to inject a drug called an EpiPen, so we implemented policies to cover EpiPens and sublingual immunotherapy under insurance. Furthermore, since legislation is enforced permanently, we worked tenaciously for four years to pass the Basic Act on Allergy Control and Diseases, and were able to achieve its passage.

■ Vaccine policy, which I have been working on since becoming a member of parliament

Furthermore, since becoming a member of parliament, I have been working on vaccine policy for over a decade. Japan is said to be a backward country in terms of vaccine administration, and the gap with developed countries has been more than 20 years.

The first thing they did was to make vaccinations a regular part of the schedule. Optional vaccinations are self-paid, and each vaccination costs a lot of money. Paying this amount out of pocket can be a huge expense for families raising children, and families who cannot afford it are unable to vaccinate their children even if they want to.
However, if they are made into routine vaccinations, everyone can receive them without any out-of-pocket costs. Therefore, in order to prevent bacterial meningitis, we made it possible to make the Hib vaccine and the pediatric pneumococcal vaccine routine vaccinations. After that, we also made it possible to make chickenpox, hepatitis B, and pneumococcal vaccines for the elderly routine vaccinations, which has been very well received by many people.
Education is also a major theme for me. Education is the foundation of child-rearing. That's why I believe more people should be able to receive the education they want. Looking back now, I realize that the teacher studies I did back then have been extremely useful to me today. I have also been working hard to combat child poverty so that everyone can receive the education they desire, and in 2013 I enacted the Child Poverty Measures Promotion Act. I believe that economic disparities should not lead to educational disparities, and that the cycle of poverty must be broken.

■ Dementia is not just a medical or nursing care issue

For the past five years, I have been working on the issue of dementia. Many people go missing every year due to dementia. Dementia is not just an issue for medical care or nursing care. It is a serious problem that affects all aspects of daily life, such as losing track of one's savings or being unable to go to the store to buy things. If people get lost at the station, it becomes a transportation problem, and it is also an issue for retailers and local governments. This is no longer an issue that can be left to a single ministry; the police and businesses must also be heavily involved.
We therefore felt that such a comprehensive policy was necessary, and we have prepared two extensive proposals and submitted them to the government. This has led to concrete changes in the way bank tellers handle things like this. We also created a Basic Act on Dementia and called on the Liberal Democratic Party to submit it to the Diet as the ruling party. It is currently under deliberation, with the aim of passing it in the Diet. We are pleased that society is changing for the better, even if only little by little, and we will continue to work hard to enact laws that will create a better, more inclusive society.

If you keep your ambition, the way will open up

I want students to have aspirations throughout their lives. Don't forget to move forward. Even if you are unable to get a job or are not in a position that allows you to achieve your aspirations, the important thing is to keep looking forward and moving forward. I believe that if you continue to have aspirations, a path will surely open up. Please keep in mind the saying, "Where there's a will, there's a way."

Student Newspaper Online March 2, 2021 Interview by Kaisei Tsujiuchi, 3rd year student at Nihon University