Member of the House of Representatives and Pediatrician Tomoko Abe

I want to create a world where women can speak out freely.

■ Profile

Born in Tokyo in 1948. Graduated from the University of Tokyo Faculty of Medicine. Pediatrician. Member of the House of Representatives (Kanagawa 12th District) belonging to the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. Member of the House of Representatives Cabinet Committee, Member of the Special Committee on Nuclear Issues Investigation, Advisor to the Party's Child-rearing Project Team. Representative of the Kanagawa Prefectural Chapter. Secretary-General of the non-partisan "Nuclear Power Zero Association." Secretary-General of the non-partisan "Association of Diet Members Promoting Assistance Dogs for the Disabled." Founder and Vice-Representative of the "Constitutional Forum."

Abe Tomoko, a member of the Diet, developed a strong interest in social activism through student activism during her student days, and has since been active as a pediatrician for 50 years and a politician for 20. We spoke to her about her journey as a prominent female member of the Diet and a pediatrician, and her outlook for the future.

■ Student days devoted to social activities

When I think of my student days, I think of the student movement. I originally enrolled at ICU (International Christian University) because I wanted to work internationally, but in July 1967, the university was locked down due to student movements, and I was unable to lead a normal university life. Then, around October, a student activist of my age was killed during a protest. I began to think deeply about what people my age were thinking when they were doing the activities they were doing, and what was the difference between me and the person who died. From that point on, I decided to go to medical school to protect people's lives.
I'm the type of person who jumps into action immediately once I've decided, "I have to do it!", so I studied hard without telling my parents, and entered the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tokyo the following year. However, soon after enrolling, there was another university-wide strike... At the time, I pondered, "Why is it that no matter where I go, I can't attend university?" However, as I was gradually confronted with two major realities - incidents on campus where students were disciplined on false charges, and the outbreak of the Vietnam War in which many defenseless people were killed - I became deeply involved in social activism. Later, when the student movement was defeated and university classes returned, I also began volunteering to open psychiatric wards.

■ 50 years of experience as a pediatrician and politician

Before becoming a politician, I worked as a pediatrician on issues such as discrimination against people with disabilities and the medical system, working with victims of medical accidents. At the heart of my actions was the idea of ​​"how to protect lives." After 30 years of such activities, the Socialist Party, which was part of the coalition government, changed its policy, including declaring the Self-Defense Forces constitutional. In 1995, a group of lawmakers seeking to form a new party asked me to run as their candidate. Initially, I wanted to train the next generation of pediatricians, but with the understanding of my employer, I decided to run.
I was first elected in 2000, and at the time I worked to protect the peace constitution, which was the policy of the party I belonged to, and to work towards the elimination of nuclear power. In 2001, I went to Afghanistan to observe the work of Dr. Nakamura Tetsu, who was distributing oil and wheat, and in Iraq I also observed the medical situation there as a doctor.
What I felt through this series of activities was that "political debates are empty." No matter how much excuses are made, it is more important to actually go to the site. Through these activities, I once again felt a strong desire to "protect people's lives." With this desire in mind, I am currently focusing my efforts on child-rearing support. I have always wondered why Japan is not seriously addressing the declining birthrate, even though it is currently experiencing a decline in the birthrate. Although a social nursing care system has been established to deal with the aging population, the declining birthrate continues to be a topic of fuss every time the figures are released each year.
On the other hand, as can be seen from the increase in child abuse issues, it is becoming increasingly difficult to raise children in today's world. In modern Japan, the leading cause of death for women who die within one year of giving birth is suicide. Mothers are left in difficult situations because they are not protected by anyone. We want to move away from a society where mothers commit suicide after giving birth and create a world where it is easier to raise children. To that end, we have worked to pass the Basic Child Development Act and amended the law to promote postpartum care centers. We are also still exploring what kind of support we can provide to mothers raising children who will lead the next generation.

■To change the times, we need women as leaders

I believe that we are currently at a turning point in society. Just as Japan's defeat in World War II brought about major changes in the world, I believe that we are now at a moment when the world will undergo major changes due to COVID-19. In this context, I would like to reexamine and provide more in-depth coverage of social common capital, such as healthcare, education, and the agricultural environment.
What I hope for in future politics is greater political participation by women. The leader of the Social Democratic Party, the party I belonged to when I was first elected, was a woman. It was a small party, but each of its members had their own unique initiatives and were very active. I think it was extremely important at the time that more than half of a party was female. Twenty years later, the proportion of women in politics remains low. However, if we combine the perspectives of both men and women, we should be able to achieve even greater results. To pool our strengths, I want to increase the number of women and create a society where women feel more comfortable voicing their opinions. And I also want to see more women in political leadership. I believe we can change politics today by increasing women's involvement in decision-making in all areas, not just leadership. The same goes for issues regarding people with disabilities and foreigners. Diversity is important.

■Message

Recently, online classes have become the norm, making it difficult to form connections with classmates and other peers. It's tough not having friends to check in with about assignments and classes. However, I believe there are definitely good aspects to online classes. I think that a combination of offline and online life will become the norm in the future, so it will be important to take this opportunity to understand the significance of online life.
And I have high hopes for today's female university students. There are many women who are active at a young age, such as Greta Thunberg, who was 15 years old at the time and protested alone in front of the Swedish parliament against climate change. Of course, there are also many young men who are active, but a new wave is coming now. That's why I urge all female students to take action. The future is by no means bleak, and I believe it can be changed.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on February 12, 2021 by Taichi Saotome, second-year student at Bunkyo University