NO YOUTH NO JAPAN Representative Momoko Nojo　

It's more interesting to think "Let's give it a try" than "It's useless anyway."

Representative of NO YOUTH NO JAPAN　Momoko Nojo　(Noujou Momoko)

■ Profile
Born in 1998, he graduated with a Master's degree in Economics from Keio University Graduate School. In 2019, he studied abroad in Denmark, where the youth voter turnout rate exceeds 80%, and founded NO YOUTH NO JAPAN, which promotes political participation among young people. He uses Instagram to communicate about elections, politics, and society, and is currently engaged in advocacy activities and collaborations with local governments, companies, and think tanks, with the aim of creating a society where young people can make their voices heard.

Nojo Momoko was inspired by the political enthusiasm and ambition of young people while studying abroad in Denmark in 2019, and founded NO YOUTH NO JAPAN in 2019. She strives every day to bring the voices of young people to the public and to create a society where those voices are heard. We spoke to Nojo about her career and her message to students.

■College days spent skiing, internships, and voting

I joined a ski club in my first year of university and skied all year round, regardless of the season. However, the club's membership fee of around 1 million yen per year was quite a burden, so I decided it would be difficult to continue with the club forever and moderated my skiing. In the spring of my second year of university, I began an internship at a venture company. It was a small company with around five employees, so I was able to gain a wide range of experiences. The experiences I gained back then have become the foundation of my current business and activities. In the fall of my second year of university, I helped out with elections at the same time as my internship. What struck me was the high rate of political participation among older people, rather than young people. Older people would take flyers, and when we held events, only older people would come. I gradually began to think that things wouldn't change unless young people started getting involved in politics, and I began to have concerns about Japanese politics.

■ Studying in Denmark changed my perspective

The main reason for this change in my attitude was studying abroad in Denmark. I chose Denmark as my study abroad destination precisely because the voting rate among young people in the country is so high. There, I went to a folk high school (national high school). This school does not have entrance exams or report cards, and you cannot obtain a qualification. However, in Denmark, even those who go on to university typically wait about two years after graduating from high school before going to university. Many people use this time to attend a folk high school and carefully decide what they want to do with their lives before going on to university. This experience of studying abroad in Denmark became the foundation of my way of thinking.

■First, what we ask young people to do is to "go vote"

I strongly urge people of my generation to go vote. I don't think there is anyone who thinks that their current life or Japan as it is is wonderful, or that Japan is a country without problems. That's why I'm working, hoping to increase the number of people who think, "If I take action, things might change." No matter how important someone is telling me to go vote, it doesn't really resonate with me. That's why I created NO YOUTH NO JAPAN to provide easy-to-understand information so that people of my generation can speak on the same level and expand our influence.
This organization promotes political participation among young people and is divided into a media team, an advocacy team, and a think tank team. They manage Instagram and Note, work to lower the voting age, carry out activities commissioned by local governments, and conduct political opinion surveys and regular policy meetings.
It all started with Instagram. When I first created this account, I only intended it to last for two weeks. However, I gained 15,000 followers in the first two weeks after launching, which was my initial motivation to continue, and I'm still continuing it today. Initially, it started with just five people, but the number of participants has now grown to around 60. About half are university students and half are office workers. Most people join after seeing it on Instagram, but some become interested in politics through social issues and join the group.

■ Difficult episodes during activities

There is a fair amount of backlash against young women speaking out. When I was collecting signatures with a friend some time ago, my post on X received a lot of criticism. At the same time, we were able to continue because we also received a lot of support, but I felt that there is a deep-rooted culture in Japan of wanting to criticize those who speak out. We are active in promoting political participation, but we are by no means trying to increase the number of political nerds. We simply want to do something that will increase the number of people who think, "I'll give it a try," rather than thinking, "It's no use anyway," and that politics can change anything that they see as wrong in their daily lives.

■NO YOUTH NO JAPAN's future prospects

My short-term goal is to lower the voting age. When I saw kids my age running for election in Denmark, it made politics feel closer to me. Even if I don't actually run for office, just knowing that there are people my age who are doing the same makes the barrier to getting into politics seem lower.
My long-term goal is to realize a generational change in NO YOUTH NO JAPAN. I'm currently serving as co-representative, and I believe we need to make the organization one that can be passed on to future generations so that it can continue like this. Preserving the organization isn't my ultimate goal, but I feel that the lack of such organizations makes it difficult for the voices of the younger generation to be heard in society. When I told a Danish exchange student about the lack of good politicians in Japan, he told me, "Just because there are no good politicians doesn't mean there aren't good citizens." To cultivate good politicians, I believe we need to increase the number of people involved in politics. I want to ensure that our voices are heard not just individually, but as a collective, such as by voting and taking action.

■Message to students

I want people to value their own emotions and sensibilities. Even if they try to do something, it's easy to get pulled into what society considers good, and the more they put up with things they don't like, the less they understand what it is that they don't like. Even if they can't start activities right away, I want people to value the feelings they have at the time. Humans are not machines, so even if they are expected to perform well at work, I feel that it's okay if they fail or things don't go well. I hope that those who have the space to speak up will try doing something, say something, or join an organization.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on October 18, 2024 by Ai Tatsuzawa, 3rd year student at Showa Women's University

Toyo University sophomore Rinno Koshiyama / International Christian University sophomore Mitomo Maruyama / Waseda University senior Natsu Nishimura / Showa Women's University junior Ai Tatsuzawa