Member of the House of Representatives and Minister of Justice Yoshihisa Furukawa

The path to becoming a politician that I decided on after eight years of pursuing my dream

■ Profile

Born in Miyazaki Prefecture in 1965. Graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo. Joined the Ministry of Construction and later served as secretary to a member of the House of Representatives.
2003年衆議院議員選挙に宮崎県第3区から出馬し、初当選。2007年法務大臣政務官、2008年環境大臣政務官、2010年自民党青年局長、衆議院災害対策特別委員会筆頭理事、2012年自民党副幹事長、自民党国会対策委員会副委員長、2013年財務副大臣、2014年衆議院財務金融委員長、自民党税制調査会幹事、2016年自民党司法制度調査会副会長、2018年衆議院東日本大震災復興特別委員長、2019年自民党選挙対策委員会副委員長、自民党沖縄振興調査会副会長、2020年衆議院北朝鮮による拉致問題等に関する特別委員長などを歴任し、2021年10月から法務大臣。　

Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa is a member of the House of Representatives for the Liberal Democratic Party and currently serves as Minister of Justice in the Kishida administration. Having fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a politician, what did he gain from his eight years of unsuccessful elections? We also spoke about the path he hopes to pursue as a politician, promoting cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties.

A politician's dream since childhood

　Ever since I was a child, I have always dreamed of becoming a politician. To be honest, I can't remember what triggered or why, but people around me tell me that when I was in elementary school, I declared, "I want to become prime minister one day." I guess I had a vague admiration for the existence of a politician.
　For this reason, I went to the Faculty of Law at university, and after graduating I worked for the Ministry of Construction for a time, but when I turned 30 I returned to my hometown of Miyazaki and began preparations to run for election to the House of Representatives. However, I lost the election twice and it wasn't until I was 38 that I was elected. To be elected you need a base (supporters), a reputation (name recognition), and a bag (financial resources), but there was no way I had any of these things when I jumped into elections straight away. So I spent eight years building up trust through my own efforts.

■ The kindness of the countryside that isn't reflected in GDP

　Election campaigning is like taking an exam or looking for a job; there's no guarantee that trying for a few years will pay off. During the time I was unsuccessful, I got married, had three children, and had a family to look after, so it was a tough time for me as I campaigned. However, the people in my hometown were incredibly kind to me, as I was working hard toward my goal while looking after my family, even though I didn't have any money. Since my hometown is "closer to the land" than Tokyo, the locals shared freshly harvested rice, vegetables, eggs, and more with me. I didn't have much money, but the kindness of the locals allowed me to continue my election campaign. I also had many experiences that made me realize the generosity of society, such as staying in the homes of local people while campaigning across a wide constituency.
　These kinds of community ties and warm hearts are not counted in GDP. The countryside does not have the same active economy or flow of people as Tokyo, but there is a richness that cannot be measured by GDP. Without the help of the local people, I would not have been able to overcome my eight years of failure to win elections.

■ A third time running for office, living up to local expectations

　However, even though more and more local people were supporting me, I was really depressed when I lost the second election. No matter how dark the tunnel, as long as you can see a light, even the size of a grain of rice, you won't lose sight of the direction you're heading in. However, I was so depressed by my defeat that I lost my confidence and my goals, and I felt like I was trapped in a pitch-black tunnel and in despair. Having no money or no time to sleep wasn't so hard, but losing my confidence and my goals was really tough. However, thanks to the continued support of the local people, I was able to motivate myself and win the third election, telling myself, "I can't keep feeling down forever." When I won, rather than feeling happy, I felt that "even though it seems like people aren't watching, they are watching," and that the world is not such a bad place after all.

■ His clumsy yet straightforward way of life touches people's hearts

　When I first ran for office, no one even took me seriously, asking, "Who is Furukawa?" However, as I continued to work silently towards my goals, people around the world began to lend me a helping hand when it mattered most. Even if I was clumsy, they saw that I was living life with integrity.
　There is populist politics that seeks to gain popularity, but there are times in politics when, if you truly care about the interests of the people, you must make decisions even if it means accepting criticism. When I was elected, I made a promise to myself that in those times, I would "not be afraid, but speak out honestly for the sake of society." If I do that, I will surely be able to get the people to understand, which is what I have learned from my eight years of experience.

■ Politics that can gain the trust of the people through cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties

　There are ruling and opposition parties in the Diet, but there are many issues that need to be tackled together across party lines. While the ruling and opposition parties often disagree, I believe there are no inherent barriers between them. Even if they belong to different parties, they are concerned about the country and share the common goal of making Japan a better place. While it is important for the ruling and opposition parties to debate with a sense of urgency as a political function, cooperation may also be necessary depending on the issue, such as when faced with a disaster or national crisis.
　When the Liberal Democratic Party was in the opposition, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of the Democratic Party, which was the ruling party at the time, worked with the opposition parties to pass a bill that included a consumption tax increase as part of comprehensive reform of social security and taxation. The fact that the ruling and opposition parties were able to work together to realize policies that benefited the people is a sign of mature parliamentary politics. I would like to continue to create a forum where the ruling and opposition parties can cooperate on the state of public finances in order to continue to cooperate in this way, transcending party lines.
　As members of the Diet, we have a responsibility to hand over a stable country to today's young people in the future. As politics today has lost some of its credibility, both the ruling and opposition parties need to think about honest politics in order to regain the trust of the people.

■Message to university students

　I guess it means "don't get smaller."
　Times are rapidly changing, and values ​​are changing along with them. The successful economic and industrial experiences of those who have worked hard to build up still remain in the minds of those who are older than us, and some may try to put those experiences into practice in the current era. However, times are changing, and what needs to be built up to achieve success is different now than it was in the past. In the coming era, the way young people think, in line with the times, should become central to the future. Don't be bound by the values ​​of the past, don't be boxed in, and live your own path.

Interview with Student Newspaper Online on April 9, 2022 by Kokoro Sato, a third-year student at Tsuda University