Member of the House of Councillors Ayaka Shiomura

Let's get the ruling party moving. There are things we can do as the opposition party.

■ Profile

Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in July 1978 as a second-generation atomic bomb survivor. Graduated from Kyoritsu Women's Junior College.
As a broadcast writer (affiliated with Office Two One), he has worked on programs such as "Shuichi" and "24-Hour Television." After working as an animal volunteer, he was first elected to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly from Setagaya Ward in 2013. After narrowly losing in the 2017 general election for the House of Representatives, he was first elected in the Tokyo electoral district in the 2019 House of Councillors election.

Social issues have become apparent through her work in a variety of fields. Animal welfare is also her life's work. Shiomura Ayaka focuses on a variety of social issues and takes proactive action. In addition to her past efforts, how will she move the world as a female politician? We asked her about her future prospects.

■ During her time as a broadcast writer, she was conscious of "women's working styles"

During my university days, I received no money from my parents, so I had to live off my scholarship and the money I earned. I really had to earn money to survive, so I spent my student days doing part-time jobs. I went to school, and then worked part-time to earn money to live. That was my student life. I only went out with friends about once.

After graduating from university, I didn't get a job, but instead worked part-time as a non-regular model and entertainer. It was during what is known as the "employment ice age." After that, I even went overseas. In my late 20s, I appeared on a TV show called "Much Ado About Love." At the time, I became interested in the show's staff writers, and while appearing on the show, I began attending a female writers course. This led to me starting my career as a writer.
However, as a television writer, I was working as a non-regular employee, so I didn't get bonuses or holidays. There was no maternity or childcare leave. Miraculously, my work got on track, but when I looked around after I turned 30, I saw that there were hardly any women left, including my classmates from the writing course. This was only natural, as it was a time when the problem of waiting lists for childcare was severe, and unstable non-regular workers didn't have enough points, so they couldn't get into daycare and had to look after their children themselves. It was an era when couples with stable company jobs had higher points and were given priority in daycare. As a television writer, I was freelance, so the moment I took time off, my income went to zero. It was an era when there was no maternity leave for non-regular workers, and the same goes for childcare leave. At that time, I became anxious about my own future, and at the same time, I wondered, "What does this mean? We have to do something about the way women work."
While people say that "women's participation in society is necessary," children from stable families can get into nursery schools, but families with women in non-regular employment find it difficult to leave their children there. I wanted to do something about this situation. So, in order to tackle this issue head-on, I attended political school and ran in the 2013 Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election.

■ Animal welfare, which he has been focusing on since his days as a TV writer

Before becoming a politician, I worked as a researcher on the TV program "Today's Dog." Personally, I continued to work in animal welfare, finding foster homes for cats that had been taken into public health centers in the Kanto region and handing them over to foster parents.
Another thing that still sticks in my memory is the Great East Japan Earthquake. At the time, I was working as a radio writer, and I was worried about a dog that had been submitted for a program, so I got in touch with it.
At the time, I was also involved in an animal welfare organization, and many of the messages I received from the disaster-stricken areas were tragic. After that, I went to Fukushima, which was sealed off as a restricted area due to the nuclear power plant, and volunteered to rescue dogs. Since then, I have continued to spread the word about animal welfare. In particular, I live with rescued cats, and they are like family to me, so I also spread the word about evacuating with pets during disasters.

After becoming a politician, I faced a case in which animals had been neglected in a poorly maintained pet shop for over 10 years. I wanted to do something about it, but this was the first case of its kind in the country, and it took over 60 consultations and about a year to issue the first administrative sanction in Japan. I realized that the reason it took so long was because the Animal Welfare Act does not have legal limits on poor animal conditions or the size of animal facilities, making it difficult for the government to intervene. In recognition of my achievement in issuing Japan's first administrative sanction despite the lack of numerical limits, I was appointed to the advisory board of the Diet's Animal Welfare League, a bipartisan group of Diet members, while I was a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly at the time. I was responsible for the "numerical limits" revised in 2019, and I faced the Ministry of the Environment on multiple occasions. The legal amendment was successfully passed, and in 2021, we were finally able to set numerical limits on animal conditions.

■ What is needed in the future is legislation for infertility treatment

Currently, one in 16 newborns is the result of infertility treatment. Despite the fact that so many children are born as a result of infertility treatment, for a long time discussions have been negative and no progress has been made. Many people who undergo infertility treatment suffer from the mental, physical, and financial burdens they endure, but they do not openly express this.
Considering how wasteful tax money is currently being spent, I believe that it should be used to increase subsidies and make insurance coverage available to women who are struggling with infertility treatment, so immediately after being elected I went directly to party executives to negotiate the establishment of an infertility treatment working team (WT) within the party. Despite some twists and turns, the WT was quickly established within the Diet, and at plenary sessions of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, we called for "insurance coverage for infertility treatment or an expansion of equivalent subsidies," a movement that received extensive media coverage.

When this happens, there are people in the ruling party who share the same views and take action. As a result, infertility treatment is scheduled to be covered by insurance next year. The media doesn't report on these developments, but this is politics, and it's a big reason why we need opposition parties and female lawmakers.

Although the cost issue has been resolved, cases still arise in advanced reproductive technologies such as egg and sperm donation where the "genetic parents," "birth parents," and "adoptive parents" do not match. Discussions must prioritize the child, including the right to know. Furthermore, while sperm and egg donation is not illegal for same-sex couples, it is not permitted. As a result, online purchases and sales are common, but the potential for trouble and risk is high. While proper legislation should be established, there are various opinions, and time is needed for discussion. Now that a foundation for infertility treatment has been established, the spark for discussion should have been broken. Going forward, the key issue will be how to advance diverse care on this hard-earned foundation. A definite direction is to be set within a set deadline.

■ I want you to live your life working backwards toward your long-term goals.

I hope that you will enjoy both your studies and leisure time while you are a student. I know that part-time work is difficult when it comes to paying for tuition, but I also think that it is important to hang out with friends. Another thing I want to say is that it's okay to fail many times while you're young. I've changed jobs many times myself, but I've somehow managed to make ends meet. I think that as long as you have a core understanding of what your purpose in work is, you can do any job. Do what you want to do and live a life without regrets. I've failed at many things in the past, but looking back, they have all been good experiences. So, try lots of different things while you're young.
It's also important to live a life that isn't distracted by immediate needs. People tend to think, "I have to do what's in front of me now!" but long-term goals are actually more important. So, while setting short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals, I think it's most important to live a life that works backwards toward your long-term goals. Also, if you don't do anything, your environment won't change. I urge you to take bold action to seize the opportunity yourself.

Interview with Student Newspaper Online on March 1, 2021 by Toyo Gakuen University freshman Suzuka Tazawa