Kiyomi Tsujimoto, Member of the House of Councillors

Moving society forward through three pillars: peace, gender, and transportation.

Kiyomi Tsujimoto, Member of the House of Councillors

■ Profile
Member of the House of Councillors (national proportional representation). Born in Nara Prefecture in 1960, raised in Osaka. Graduated from Waseda University, Faculty of Education. Founded the NGO Peace Boat during her student years, engaging in private diplomacy with 60 countries around the world during the Cold War. Transported relief supplies by ship during the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Received the Avon Women's Award for Education and was selected as one of the "100 Leaders of Tomorrow's World" at the World Economic Forum in Davos. First elected to the House of Representatives in 1996. Played a key role in the enactment of the NPO Law through a legislator-sponsored bill, and contributed to the enactment of the Disaster Victims' Livelihood Reconstruction Support Law, the Information Disclosure Law, the Basic Law for a Gender-Equal Society, and the Child Prostitution and Pornography Prohibition Law. Served seven terms as a member of the House of Representatives. In 2009, served as Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (in charge of transport, tourism, and crisis management), and in 2011, as Special Advisor to the Prime Minister in charge of disaster volunteers. In 2017, founded the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and served as the first female chairperson of the Diet Affairs Committee (the largest opposition party) for two years. He has served as acting leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party, leading opposition member of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, leading opposition secretary of the Constitutional Review Committee, member of the Committee on Economy, Trade and Industry, member of the Special Committee on Peace and Security Legislation, and member of the National Land Council. He has been a member of the House of Councillors since 2022.

Senator Kiyomi Tsujimoto, who is making efforts in various fields such as peace issues and gender equality, drawing on her experience with the NGO "Peace Boat" which she founded during her student days, was interviewed by this publication five years ago. This time, we spoke with Ms. Tsujimoto again about the changes in politics over the past five years and the policies she hopes to achieve in the future.

■My path to politics stemmed from my experiences as a poor child.

As a child, I grew up in poverty and was forced to live a financially difficult life. However, one day I heard that "you can become rich if you go to university," so I studied desperately to escape my difficult life. At university, my childhood experiences led me to become interested in eliminating poverty and striving for peace, so I majored in social studies. In 1980, while I was a student, the Gwangju Uprising occurred in South Korea, which became a turning point in the Korean democratization movement at the time, and I participated in conferences on democratization as a volunteer. There I met many different people, and this became one of the triggers for me and three university friends to establish "Peace Boat," an NGO that conducts international exchanges in various countries, focusing on various social issues such as peace, democracy, and human rights. Through Peace Boat's activities, we traveled to many countries and regions and actively engaged in international exchange. Amidst all this, in 1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred. We, too, were involved in volunteer activities as part of Peace Boat, but we wanted to see the power of private citizens like us recognized by society, and we were also nominated by Takako Doi, who became the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives in Japan at the time, so we decided to pursue a career in politics.

■It was difficult at first, but it was also rewarding.

Since being elected to the House of Representatives, I realized that as a politician representing ordinary people and not a hereditary politician, I lacked sufficient funds and had to make ends meet by reusing discarded photocopiers and refrigerators from those who had lost elections. Furthermore, at that time, simply being a woman meant I was often mistaken for a male politician's secretary, so the treatment I received was far from ideal. In fact, this year marks my 30th anniversary as a politician, but there are only 19 female politicians who have continued in office for more than 25 years. I endured many hardships and sometimes felt frustrated, but I found fulfillment in being able to contribute to changing society through my political activities. For example, the NPO Law, which I helped to pass by connecting ruling and opposition parties and citizen groups, was met with surprise as the first time a first-term politician had done so since Kakuei Tanaka, and it allowed us to increase the number of citizen groups that could actively engage in social contribution activities. Thanks to the Disaster Victims' Livelihood Reconstruction Support Law, which I created together with those directly affected and which was praised as a model for new legislation, we were able to ensure that people whose homes were damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake received the necessary funds. Being able to utilize my experience with Peace Boat and volunteering during the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake as a politician and contribute to significant social change has been a great source of encouragement for me.

■The three pillars that make up politician Kiyomi Tsujimoto

I am actively involved in three main areas of political activity.
The first issue is "peace." Article 9 of the Constitution stipulates that Japan will never again engage in acts of war (except when attacked by another country). As a result, Japan has been able to build international trust as a peaceful nation. In this context, I believe that Japan should become the "Red Cross of the world." To achieve this, it is essential to further communicate that Japan is a peaceful nation through humanitarian aid and mediation in wars from a neutral standpoint. I also want young people to actually experience international exchange. During World War II, the idea that "the Americans and British are devils" was commonly believed. But now, if you actually meet and interact with them, you can easily see that this is not the case at all. I believe that understanding the values ​​of people of different nationalities and cultures through international exchange will lead to a stronger sense of peace and security.
Next, let's talk about "gender issues." Approximately five years have passed since our last interview, and regarding same-sex marriage, several court rulings have declared it unconstitutional. If the next Supreme Court ruling also declares it unconstitutional, same-sex marriage will finally be recognized. I believe this is proof that we in the legislature have listened to the voices raised by those directly affected and have moved forward together. In that sense, the discussion on same-sex marriage has progressed. However, on the other hand, the debate on optional separate surnames for married couples continues. I believe that people should be able to decide their own surname, but there are a certain number of people who oppose this, and it is one of the issues that will require more careful discussion going forward. Similarly, there is also debate on female emperors, and I would like to work hard to realize an amendment to the Imperial House Law that aligns with public opinion.
And the third is "transportation reform." Having served as Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and as a committee chairman, I am working on regional revitalization through the use of buses and trains. One example of such an initiative is the bus operation in Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture, where I live. In Takatsuki City, senior citizens can ride the bus for free. This encourages many senior citizens to use the bus frequently when going out. Of course, tax money is used to make bus fares free, but this improves the health of the elderly, which reduces medical and nursing care costs, and also revitalizes shopping districts. Furthermore, transportation by bus and train emits less carbon dioxide than by car, creating what is known as a "cross-sector effect." I would like to spread these effects throughout Japan and make regional areas more vibrant.

■Message to students

Compared to my student days, society has become more intolerant, and there's a prevailing attitude that failure is unacceptable. Perhaps because of this, young people today seem to be more timid than we were. However, when you're young, you can always recover from failures. That's why I think it's important not to be afraid of failure. I hope you'll approach various things with curiosity. We adults will also do our best to create a society where you can freely take on challenges. It's also important not to believe everything you read on social media. As the saying goes, seeing is believing, and you'll be able to make new discoveries by experiencing things in real life and verifying them yourself.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on January 24, 2026 by Kyohei Nakazawa, a second-year student at Waseda University

Risa Ukita (3rd year, Tokyo Woman's Christian University) / Yurie Watanabe (3rd year, Josai International University) / Kyohei Nakazawa (3rd year, Waseda University) / Naokazu Shimada (4th year, Hosei University) / Reina Inomoto (1st year, Kyoto University of the Arts)