Women on the Front Line: 15% of Japan's Politicians

Time for dinner.

Here you go.

Say "Ahh."

Oops.

- Know what an election is?
- Nope!

- Know that I'm running for election?
- Yup.

"Nationwide local elections
were held in April."

- Do you want this?
- No thanks. I'm full.

If you win, I'll cook
you something nice.

Really? Thanks!

"The elections featured a record
number of female candidates."

Oh no! I'm so sorry!

Good morning. Sorry, I'm in a rush.
Could I ask you to hurry?

I'm running for election.

- Registration closes at 8:30.
- Please hurry!

No time to lose. Thanks!

Thank you.

Hello!

- Did I make it? Thank you!
- Six minutes to spare!

"City of Nagasaki Election
Administration Commission"

"40 seats
57 candidates."

"Including 6 women."

- There you are.
- Thank you.

Thank goodness.
What a relief!

"Proportion of women in local assemblies:
15.6%
As of December 2022."

I'm a single parent.
Raising two kids on my own.

I've had to overcome
a lot of difficulties.

But just complaining's no good.

I want to stand up
and make a difference.

I normally work as
an MC and instructor.

"Takahashi Keiko has two daughters."

Thanks.

It doesn't cost money to upload
videos, so I do that a lot.

I have to get my name out there.

The kids have drawn on all the walls.
This is the only space I can use.

Your snuffling will get picked up.

- That's fine.
- What? No it's not!

Takahashi Keiko here. I spoke about
the government press conferences.

The city council
is in session from February 20.

Debates are ongoing, so please
make sure to take a look.

- Now I'm all snotty.
- You were holding it in? I'm sorry!

What did you think when you heard your
mom was running in the election?

I was surprised.
Like, "What?!"

She's so busy.

- We might have to live on bento.
- Give me a break!

"Please check the description
for more information."

Maybe it's because I've dealt
with a lot as a single parent.

Maybe that's why I'm doing this.

I used to be a tour guide.

But one year, the tours were on halt
for five months, so my pay plummeted.

"Her wages at the time dropped to
around 100,000 yen ($900) a month."

I was struggling to get by.
So I went to City Hall for advice.

But they said it would take
a few months to get me support.

I didn't know what to do.

I was in a tough spot.

That's when I thought I wanted to be
in a position to make a difference.

There are 40 seats
in the Nagasaki City Council.

Only 4 are women,
and the average age is 62.

I know they're working hard for us,
but as a single parent I'm motivated.

I want my opinions to be heard.

How much does it usually cost to run?

About $27,000, I was told.

"No way," I thought!

"Conventional election techniques."

"Campaign car:
Travels around broadcasting candidate's name.
Usually paid for out of public funds."

"Tsujidachi: Promoting name and policies on the street.
Sometimes day and night."

"Election posters: Candidates place posters on noticeboards.
Sometimes in hundreds of places."

"In Japanese, it is said that three
'ban' are needed to win an election!"

"Jiban: support from local organizations."

"Kanban: name value."

"Kaban: a bag full of money."

I heard about jiban, kanban and kaban,
and realized I had none of them.

I searched for "election techniques,"
and Ms. Kawakubo's name came up.

I was amazed to see it was possible
to win by doing things differently.

- Kawakubo Minami.
- Here.

"The Pioneer."

I have three main questions
I would like to raise here.

One is about developing
the city center.

I moved back in the pandemic.

At the time, the kids were
one and three.

I was working as a lawyer,
and also at an IT company.

"Both parents working.
City-run nursery rules were tough."

Every weekend, they'd bring
their bedding home for cleaning.

For food, we'd send them off with
plain rice in a lunchbox.

We'd throw away diapers every evening
once we got home.

These little things
can overburden working parents.

I wanted to see more young parents
getting involved in politics.

Then we could make our voices heard,
I thought, and make a change.

"No support group, no campaign car.
Main campaign activity: picking up garbage."

Oh, wow. Thank you very much!

- I often see you.
- Thanks for your help!

I decided to focus on social media.

It was important to find a way to
campaign even without the three "ban."

"Everyone in Tsukuba:
Let's change this city, together."

"Kawakubo was elected
in third place."

"Scrap rule on home disposal of diapers.
All food to be provided at facility.
Nap mats to be provided by facility."

- Hello, can you hear me?
- Loud and clear.

Thanks for joining. Let's begin
the Senkyo Change Challenge meeting.

I'm Takahashi Keiko,
joining from Nagasaki.

You mentioned that video advertising
is effective, but who do you target?

I'd love to know where to start.

I targeted a similar age group
to myself: young parents.

Just as Ms. Kawakubo said...

I saw people all over the country who
wanted to try campaigning differently.

So I wanted to create
a space to get together.

I thought that would help
more people to give it a go.

We have about 50 members.

I'm thinking of running
in the April elections.

I'm Ishikawa Kaori, here in
Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture.

You can do everything!
But I keep hitting my limits.

I'm always trying to find ways to
lighten the burden even a little.

When my first daughter was born,
we moved back here.

I'd often go to this music store.

I used to love it.
I was so sad to see it close.

"Once a thriving city, the population
has dropped by 20,000 in 10 years."

It certainly feels lonely.

Unless people have a clear reason,
they never come back.

If people find somewhere
better to live, they move away.

I wondered if there was
something I could do.

But there's not much
one individual can do.

One day, my father said:
"Why not run for government?"

But I had kids to raise, and no time.

"Ishikawa's husband lectures in Tokyo.
He's away half the week."

- Don't want it!
- Back it goes, then.

- Here.
- Too big.

It's fine. Give it a go.

I thought Ms. Kawakubo's approach
might work for me, too.

It's like she showed me the way.

I took this photo with my phone.

I propped up a selfie stick
to take it.

I did the design too.

If there's something I can do myself,
I always try to, to save money.

I put my policies up on
my website and Instagram.

"Better childcare:
Meal delivery to after-school centers

Better sick care
Better parks
Revamped child welfare system."

People my age think hard about
where to live, or move.

Education is usually the top concern.

If people move elsewhere for that,
maybe they'd move back for it.

"I want to pump new life into Hitachi."

"I want to make it
a better place to live."

"So I started
the Active Hitachi campaign."

"2 weeks to election day."

"24 seats
28 candidates."

"Last time,
all incumbents were re-elected.
Five independents were newly elected."

Hello?

I'm on lunch from 12 until 2,
so that should be okay.

Sure. Fine.

Who was that?

My tumble dryer's not working.

That was the repair company
arranging a timeslot.

My children and family come first.

Paid work comes second.

After that, in my free time,
I focus on my campaign.

On weekends, if I need to do something
for my children, that comes first.

"Women in Japanese elections."

It's a non-stop battle. You must be
constantly focused on the election.

Candidates take the campaign car
to busy places.

They say their name again and again.

It's all done to boost
name recognition.

People say it comes down to how much
time you spend on the constituency.

That doesn't leave a lot of time
for raising a family.

And it puts men at
a distinct advantage.

For a long time, there's only been
a handful of female politicians.

Even fewer in local assemblies.

Around 40% of them have
one or no female members.

It's difficult for
female voices to be heard.

Not many women feel that going into
politics will bring them benefits.

The upshot is poor candidates.

The upshot of that is poor politics.
It's a vicious circle.

In municipal elections,
turnout is less than 50%.

"Takahashi Keiko here.
Today, I spoke at Tetsubashi!"

"Starting tomorrow, I will be
posting more about my campaign."

"Thanks for your support!"

I'll be putting a sign here
during the campaign.

"A friend helped Takahashi
get a campaign office."

I have my regular expenses
besides campaigning.

So I'm still working.

Could we check the schedule?

- Mr. Amano, then Mr. Narita.
- 1 hour, then a 5-minute break.

I'm your MC, Takahashi Keiko.
Nice to see you all.

Today you'll hear about how to
maximize your store's income.

"Takahashi drives her elder daughter
40 minutes to badminton club."

This should help you get back on form.

Wow.

It's a local specialty.

I've done various
things for the family.

I don't want to quit to focus on
the campaign. I want to do both.

My daily life and family are
important, and I plan to do my best.

But my kids would probably say
I wasn't great in the first place.

Pretty bad, in fact.

Do you have everything?

You finish at 9:30?

It's work plus family.

Add campaigning to that,
and you have to think hard.

You can't spend less time on the kids.

So you work less, but then
how do you raise the children?

Or fund the campaign?
You need resources.

That's where I am.

It seems difficult to win
in that situation.

The odds are stacked against me.

Hello!

"Takahashi has come to show
campaign flyers to some close friends."

I told you I'd come.

This is the final version.
I'll be distributing these.

It's a targeted approach to tell
people "I'll tackle your problems."

It's so hard keeping all my
SNS accounts updated.

- It's almost like that's my job.
- I see you on Twitter a lot.

But I'm doing everything myself!

So, you're the only one
in the campaign team?

I thought you'd outsource something
like this, and have a team to help.

I welcome all the help I can get.

There's a lot to do.

Let us know if there's anything
we can do. We'll be right there.

- I'm gonna cry.
- Don't overdo it!

Thank you very much.

I'm no good at asking for help!

Thank you.

But we're good at it!
Although we can't guarantee results.

You're doing too much.
You need a team to help.

And people like helping out.

I see.

I'm not good at asking for help.

Everyone's busy, and under stress.

I feel bad asking.

If we don't get some people together,
putting up the posters will be tough.

"A friend is helping Takahashi
get more people involved."

There are a lot of billboards.
748 of them, all over the city.

Hi there!

It will be Sunday, April 16.
Is that OK?

Could you help me
put up some posters?

Thank you!

Hi Masaru! It's Keiko.

Even just the afternoon?

He's phoning people
I'd never be able to ask!

They're drinking buddies, mostly.

Thank you!

- All right.
- Thanks very much.

I was wondering if you could
help me with some posters on April 16.

Hitachi.

What do you think of Kaori's poster?

Looks natural.
Everyone else looks kind of posed.

"Independent candidate, 38 years old.
Bringing moms into politics."

Yes. Right.

Actually, I plan to try
without a support group.

I do have an office, yes.
And a sign.

A lot of young people use
social media. I've been posting.

So, well...yes.

I'll think about that. Yes.
Thank you.

Yes, fine.

Thanks very much.
Sorry.

He asked why I didn't have
an opening ceremony for my office.

I told him that I don't plan
on holding one right now.

He said, "Is that gonna work?"

Are you getting many calls like that?

- Yes.
- I sure am.

We had to set up a "no phones" rule
around 7 PM, for dinner.

We're strict on that.

Dinner time should be for eating.

I'm posting a lot online,
and on Instagram.

If I hadn't seen that, I'd be worried
too if I was in their position.

People who don't go online must
think I'm not doing anything.

So they get in touch to say that
I should be doing something.

Because I'm not out talking to people.

But actually I'm doing quite a lot.

"Ishikawa was asked to meet
a former councilor."

I served for nine terms.

I wanted to do something different.
To appeal to the younger generation.

We'll have a beach cleanup
and a picnic.

Times change. And so do
the ways people campaign.

- But face-to-face is essential.
- I see.

No one ever won a seat
without getting out there.

There's nothing cool about it.
You just have to plug away.

Visiting local gatherings, asking
people one by one for their support.

You have to do the legwork.

I keep getting told I need to
get out in the community.

I wasn't sure what to do.

But it might make some people happy.

And seeing their faces
would make me happy, too.

So I'm going to give it a go.

Let's begin the Senkyo Change
Challenge meeting.

Go ahead, Ms. Ishikawa.

I've been meeting with a lot of people
and also trying new approaches.

But are there any good ways
to reach more elderly people?

If you have any helpful ideas,
I'd love to hear them.

I remember when I was
running for election.

People would often say that
it's like a popularity contest.

They'd say I should set up an office
so people can meet me if they want.

But I wanted to do things differently.

I wanted to carve a new path.

So I think the key thing is:
Don't let yourself be shaken.

As long as you get your point across,
it should be fine.

Thank you. My conviction starts
to waver over the course of a month.

But these monthly meetings help me
get back on track. Thanks!

Nagasaki
One week to election day.

It's going to be tough.

57 candidates for 40 seats.

I initially thought I wouldn't use a
campaign car, just like Ms. Kawakubo.

But if I don't do all I can,
I think I'll regret it.

Thanks for helping out!

He's a friend from high school.

An ex-boyfriend.

He talks a lot of nonsense.

- Here you go.
- Good luck!

Thanks very much.

I get a lot of help
from friends and acquaintances.

I don't belong to a political party.

So there's no group to back me up.

- Hang in there!
- Thank you so much.

"I'm running in the city elections.
This is Takahashi Keiko."

"I wanted to speak to you all today,
as my campaign begins."

"Takahashi Keiko here!
Make sure to vote."

"Have a safe trip home!"

"Thank you!
Vote for a new candidate!"

"A long-time work colleague is
helping with the announcements."

We're both single parents.

Just by chance.

We all did the announcements for the
mayoral elections four years ago.

I never thought we'd be doing it
for Ms. Takahashi!

She can see things
from our perspective.

That's why I want her to do well.
I really want her to succeed.

She represents us.
Her success impacts us personally.

That's why I'm cheering her on.

How's the angle?
It's looking pretty good.

Any chance you two
could stand in front?

Okay, looks good.

"Please lend us your support!"

"This student heard about Takahashi's
website and volunteered to help."

My mom's single, too.

Her poster says she'll tackle
our problems. I'd like her to do that.

The problems people face are many
and varied. It's not just poverty.

But it can lead to difficulty
getting an education, and so on.

There are a lot of men in politics.

And older people, too.
It's easy for us to be overlooked.

"Hitachi
One week to election day."

There you go.

Look! Balloon!

"Campaign office."

"Local mothers who saw the campaign
on social media have come to help."

If you have kids, you use
public facilities and parks.

It makes you think more about
how the city's run.

I'd like young people like her
to speak up and get things done.

Someone who says they'll do the job,
but puts their kids first.

I'm happy to see someone like that.

- Don't lose to the old guys!
- I'll do my best.

- Can we go home?
- Not just yet.

"Ishikawa receives a message of
support for her policies."

"Especially her stance on meal delivery to
after-school centers."

Wow, over 60,000 views.

I've tried to draw attention
on social media.

I think like that's worked quite well.

But how many actual supporters
are there, and will they vote?

- Hello! Thanks for your help!
- I sent you a DM.

"Beach cleaning:
Ishikawa's main campaign activity."

There was supposed to be one more,
but they canceled, so let's start.

My kids have trouble
going to school.

It helps to know people
in the same situation.

Sometimes, just talking
about it can help.

- Could we do that in Hitachi?
- Sure, let's!

I'm a friend of her father's.

I was amazed that she's running
without a conventional campaign.

I hope she wins.

But it's the people who decide.
Reality can be cruel.

Will it be a tough battle?

I think so. I mean, look.

"Including Kaori's husband,
only six people took part."

Usually around here, you get votes
through old-fashioned ties.

People may think, "Will she really
be able to change anything?"

If that's what they think,
it's going to be tough.

But the important thing is to try.

"The eve of the election."

I do things a little differently.
I'll try new things.

If that resonates with you,
tell everyone, and vote for me.

I was hoping to see
more people this week.

I was always opposed to
old-fashioned campaigning.

But it's so tough to get folks
together and interest young people.

So now I feel like I understand
why people campaign that way.

"Nagasaki
The eve of the election."

"Takahashi is speaking in
a park popular with families."

Hello, everyone.

I'm raising two children
here in Nagasaki.

And I'm running
in the city election.

Today, I wanted to speak to
other people raising children.

- Please give me your support...
- Keep going!

That's why I'm here today.

I'm raising two kids on my own.

As a single parent, I've had to
overcome a lot of difficulties.

But just complaining's no good.

I want to stand up
and make a difference.

I want to gather the
voices of parents.

And use that to drive change.
That is my position.

Each vote tomorrow has the power
to change Nagasaki.

So let's come together
to change Nagasaki.

Make it a better place
to raise children.

Thank you so much for listening.
The name is Takahashi Keiko.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

It's the middle of the day,
quit making me choke up like that!

At least wait until the evening.

How did you get this answer?

- This?
- Yeah.

Ahh, no!

No more!

We saw loads of your posters
on the way home today.

We got all excited
and Mei started praying.

Praying that I'll win?

Were they like, "Look! Look!"

"Election day."

"I'm here right now at the
ballot-counting station."

"The ballot boxes are being opened."

"I'm looking for my name.
Takahashi Keiko..."

"Hmm?"

Hello everyone, I'm back!

About 27 people have 2,000 votes.
Only Mr. Mori has 3,000.

That makes me tense.

- Do we know yet?
- Not yet.

What?

No information.

- Huh? Where?
- Takahashi Keiko! You won!

Congratulations!

Thank you so much!

"3,761 votes
5th place"

It's time to celebrate,
but this is also a serious moment.

People voted for me because I promised
to tackle their problems.

Their votes carry their hopes, so I
promise to give my all. Thank you!

Thanks for all your support.

There are 28 candidates.
It'll take a while to count.

Here it is!

What?

You're top?

Amazing!

Mom's number one!

It's amazing! Hard to believe.

Hello, everyone.

First of all, congratulations!

It's all thanks to all of you.
Thank you all so much.

There weren't many people yesterday.
Honestly, I was a bit worried.

More people online and young mothers
will be taking part in politics.

We must take their votes seriously.

"Ms. Ishikawa received many
congratulatory messages on social media."

People I've never met
were able to access the campaign.

We were able to connect in that way.

I want to make it easier.

Politics must be easier
for young people to take part in.

"I may have won the election,
but I'll always be a mother."

"I want to be in touch
and tackle your problems."

"That slogan will always be
at the heart of my policy."

"As a councilor, I'll always
stay true to that."

"In these nationwide local elections,
the most women ever were elected:"

"2,943."

"19.9% of the total seats."