Member of the House of Representatives and former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Koichi Hagiuda

Japan is resource-poor, so "human resources" are important. Establishing a grant system to develop human resources

Member of the House of Representatives Former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry　Koichi Hagiuda(Hagiuda Koichi)

■ Profile
In October 2021, he was appointed Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, and served as Minister of Industrial Competitiveness, Minister of Economic Cooperation with Russia, Minister of Nuclear Economy
He served as Minister in charge of damages and Minister in charge of the Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation. In the same year, he became Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party Tokyo Chapter Federation. This is his sixth election since his first election in 2003, and he has previously served as Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Acting Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, and Director-General of the Cabinet Personnel Bureau. In August 2022, he became Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's Policy Research Council.

■The troubles he faced in high school that became a turning point

I first became interested in politics when I was in high school. One day, during a social studies class, our teacher asked the students, "Does anyone have a pit toilet at home?" A pit toilet is a toilet in which waste is temporarily stored in a tank connected to the toilet bowl and periodically collected by a waste collection company. Our toilet in Hachioji was a pit toilet, so I raised my hand without hesitation when the teacher asked me. To my surprise, I was the only one who raised my hand. At the time, I thought that most homes in urban areas had flush toilets, and I began to feel embarrassed. Later, I asked my parents if they could install a sewer system and convert our toilet to a flush system. They told me it was impossible, so I inquired with the city hall myself, but they also told me that it would be 10 years before a pit toilet would be installed. I was devastated.
At that time, I thought that politics could be the place to solve these everyday problems and troubles, and this experience led me to enter politics.

■ Supplementing Japan's necessary human resources

Japan has few natural resources and has no choice but to compete with its people.
In other words, Japan needs human resources. That's why we've worked hard to establish a grant system so students can immerse themselves in their studies. However, there are areas in Japan where we lack human resources. For example, infectious diseases, once Japan's specialty. Japan has not been able to publish world-leading research results on infectious diseases amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This is because the establishment of public health systems has eliminated infectious diseases and reduced infectious disease research. In other words, there are no longer any human resources to devote their efforts to research that is rarely used. However, since we never know when we will need human resources in these fields, we are providing scholarships to attract people to these fields. While this is a national policy, it allows students to study in areas where there is a shortage of human resources without spending money, increasing their chances of excelling in those fields.

■Please give us a message for university students

University is a place to study, but it is also a place to make connections with people. Due to the influence of the coronavirus, classes have become online, and opportunities to interact with others have become fewer. When face-to-face classes begin, please be sure to meet people and cherish your connections.

Student Newspaper, October 1, 2022 Issue, Tsuda University, 10rd Year, Sato Kokoro