Choosing the Path of Local Government
—You currently serve as Mayor of Tsunan Town. What sparked your interest in local politics?
During my undergraduate years at Waseda University, I spent a year as an exchange student in Oregon in the United States, where I saw local politicians actively at work. Until then my interest had been in international politics, but seeing them made me think, “Local government seems profound and fascinating.” I had always intended to return to my hometown someday, so I decided to pursue a path in politics—and within it, local government.
My hometown is a town in one of the heaviest snowfall regions in Japan. As a “woman” who had come to Tokyo from such a town and aspired to politics, I was the only person like that around me, so I gradually came to think about whether I could do work that made the most of this unique part of myself.
In entering politics, I wanted to become a legislator engaged in policy, so I went on to GraSPP, where many experienced practitioner faculty members teach.
Running for the Town Assembly While Still Enrolled
—How was your school life at GraSPP?
I had many wonderful encounters in graduate school. There were not only students who had come up internally from the University of Tokyo but also people like me from other universities, and I was greatly stimulated by the high caliber and high aspirations of everyone in my year. I was amazed at how positive and motivated my peers were—“I want to work at a ministry in the future,” “I want to work as a local government official,” “I want to join a trading company or a bank”—and I think that by being in that environment, I was able to hone myself alongside them.
The classes were highly specialized, with a wide variety of subjects. Meeting the professors was also a major experience. The stories of Professor Hiroya Masuda left a particularly strong impression on me. In his class, as I listened to him talk about his three terms as Governor of Iwate Prefecture and the rewards of serving at the top of a local government, I remember recognizing anew that “local government really is fascinating—perhaps the coming era will belong not only to Tokyo but to the regions.”
――In 2011, while still enrolled, you ran for the town assembly of Tsunan Town.
I ran because I wanted to be of some help to my hometown, which had been struck by the Northern Nagano Prefecture Earthquake, and I managed to win the election. I imagine my graduate school classmates and the people of the town were surprised at the time, and I am afraid I caused a great deal of trouble for the graduate school’s administrative staff as well. Being interviewed by a TV station the day after my election is a memorable experience.
I spent three years at GraSPP. For about six months after becoming an assembly member, there was a period when I commuted to graduate school once a week, and during that time I had the valuable experience of being made to think about many things in the gap between what I was learning at the desk and the local government I was actually experiencing firsthand.
Skill Development and New Encounters Sustain the Work of Government
—Finally, could you share a message for those who wish to work in public administration in the future?
Many regions are experiencing population decline and aging, and running a government amid those conditions is not easy. On top of daily duties, there are troubling and difficult matters almost every day, and the mind gets no rest. But it is precisely at such times that we should take confidence in what we have learned, grasp the major currents that lie ahead, and revitalize our towns and prefectures over the medium to long term. Going on to graduate school should be an opportunity to build the ability to grasp the major currents of society and the thinking skills to bring them down to the ground—abilities needed to play an active role on the front lines of public administration. Let us build a better society for the children of the future.
GraSPP offers high-quality education and information, and I think it is a wonderful environment for learning. Beyond the skill development gained through classes and practical training, I think the greatest appeal of GraSPP is that you can take in diverse perspectives through new encounters with classmates and professors. I hope someday to be able to send our town’s staff there, and I would love to go back myself (laughs). I truly hope you will apply what you learn in graduate school to the work of government.
(Interviewed by GraSPP public relations staff on January 21, 2022)
