Liberal Democratic Party Hokkaido 6th District Branch Chief, Member of the House of Representatives, Azuma Kunimoto

2024.10.16

Pursuing what we want to do and building a comfortable, "comfortable" country

Azuma Kuniyoshi, Member of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's Hokkaido 6th District Branch

■ Profile

House of Representatives: Member of the Committee on Judicial Affairs, Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Special Committee on Disaster Management, Special Committee on Okinawa and Northern Issues

Liberal Democratic Party: Member of the Diet Affairs Committee, Deputy Secretary-General of the Special Committee on Hokkaido Comprehensive Development, Organization and Campaign Headquarters, Organization General Bureau (Vice-Chairman of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Related Organizations Committee and Vice-Chairman of the Health, Labor and Welfare Related Organizations Committee), Deputy Director-General of the Local Organization and Diet Members General Bureau, Deputy Director-General of the Press and Publications Bureau, Public Relations Headquarters

Higashi Kuniyori Channel YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk0mGdVNPeG6TvXqOcnWJmA?si=dxqNfx1IjRpJ_-fY

With the motto "Towards building a safe and secure country," House of Representatives member Azuma Kunimoto strives every day to create a comfortable and livable country. His current focus is agriculture and forestry, but his work spans a wide range of fields. Azuma says he "once aspired to join the Self-Defense Forces," so why did he enter the world of politics? We asked him about his thoughts on politics and his outlook for the future.

From junior high school until I graduated from high school, I wanted to join the Self-Defense Forces. The reason was that I liked a society with a clear hierarchy. However, when I consulted my father, a high school teacher, he didn't object to me joining the Self-Defense Forces, but strongly recommended that I "go to a regular school first," so I decided to go to university. The reason I chose the Faculty of Law at Tokai University was because my grandfather told me, "If you go to the Faculty of Law, you can learn common sense in society even if you don't become a lawyer or a judicial scrivener."

After entering university, I became passionate about skiing and worked as an instructor. When I first enrolled, I was thinking of joining the Self-Defense Forces after graduation, but then there was a turning point that made me decide to aim for a career in politics. That turning point was the competition to host the Winter Olympics, which was held in four cities: Asahikawa, Morioka, Nagaoka, and Nagano. Asahikawa only received four votes out of 50, losing by a large margin to Nagano, which was in first place. At that moment, I strongly felt that "if we had the power of politics, we could have brought the Olympics to Asahikawa." This feeling of frustration became a major driving force behind my desire to become a politician.

However, even though I aimed to become a politician, the road was by no means smooth. When I aimed to become a politician, I tried to join the Liberal Democratic Party, but when I looked at the politicians who belonged to the party, I found that a very large number of them had parents who were politicians. Also, many people graduated from top universities, joined government ministries as bureaucrats, and then became politicians, so I wondered whether I should also pursue that path. However, in the end, I was fortunate enough to end up working as a student at the Yokosuka office of former Environment Minister Yoshiaki Harada.

After graduating from university, I returned to Hokkaido because I strongly felt that "to become a politician, I had to be in Hokkaido." The LDP was originally a rural party, based on indigenous roots and very much valued my hometown. Professor Harada introduced me to the offices of three Diet members, and I ended up working as a secretary for Mr. Sato Shizuo, a Diet member who represented a Hokkaido electoral district. After that, at the age of 27, I became a member of the Asahikawa City Council and became active in the Junior Chamber. It was a Genki-no-Yoi-Kai (Energetic Association) and I also served on the festival executive committee for a year. I then went on to serve in the Hokkaido Prefectural Assembly, where I served as branch chief for the Liberal Democratic Party's Hokkaido 6th Constituency, which gave me a strong desire to contribute to the local community.

■ Creating an environment where young people can easily approach agriculture

My current focus is on strengthening food security. As part of this effort, in February of this year, the Basic Act on Food, Agriculture, and Rural Areas was passed for the first time in 25 years. This law, also known as the "Constitution of Agricultural Policy," sets out the basic principles and policy direction of agricultural policy. The passage of this law will strengthen the foundations of agriculture and forestry and establish a legal framework to ensure food security.

At the same time, we are working to resolve issues such as sustainable management for producers and the labor shortage. I believe that the key to resolving the current labor shortage in the agricultural industry is to reconsider our approach to getting young people involved in agriculture. Agriculture and forestry are essential for the survival of a nation, so we must do whatever it takes to resolve the labor shortage. Many young people today are potentially interested in agriculture, so it is important to find ways to support and turn that passion into reality. Our role is to support interested new farmers and provide them with opportunities to work in agriculture. Growing food in nature offers a great sense of accomplishment, and it is a field where even people who are not good at interacting with others can thrive, so I hope many young people will take up the challenge.

I personally find the work I do as a politician very rewarding. By proposing legal revisions and budgets, it is possible to narrow the gap between regional and large cities. The feeling of being able to contribute to the local community is wonderful. When my proposals are realized, I sometimes receive words of gratitude from people in my hometown, which is one of the rewards of my work.

■ Creating a country that can continue to provide safe and secure food

Going forward, I would like to focus on ensuring food security. With the world's population exceeding 80 billion and dwindling arable land and water resources, Japan's food self-sufficiency rate has become a problem. Our country's food self-sufficiency rate is low at 63%. I believe the reason for this is market trade. I believe that going forward, Japan must ensure that it can feed its 1 million people. Currently, there is an oversupply of rice, leaving a surplus on the market, while the self-sufficiency rate for wheat and soybeans is quite low at around 10%. To improve this self-sufficiency rate, we need to increase the development of field crops. While there is no need to reduce rice production, it is important to increase the self-sufficiency rate for field crops. Furthermore, to improve food security, it is essential to increase consumption and enhance the brand power and value of domestically produced products.

Food security is also linked to environmental issues. With the current growing demand for organic farming and safe food grown without chemical fertilizers, we believe it is also important to promote the deliciousness of safe and secure domestic food. Through these efforts, we hope to establish food security and protect the health and happiness of the nation's citizens.

■Message to university students

Students, the career you choose in the future is a matter of personal freedom. Whatever you choose, wouldn't you be happier if you could get a job you love? In my case, I found happiness in pursuing what I wanted to do. Also, as the phrase "combining hobbies with practical benefits" suggests, if you can earn an income doing what you love, becoming a specialist is not just a dream. A salary will come later if you do a job that you find fulfilling, so find your dreams and hopes early on and pursue them.

Student Newspaper Online April 18, 2024 Interview by Tsuda University sophomore Karin Ishimatsu