I became a member of the Diet! | NHK News

I became a member of the Diet! August 29, 16:24

Some want to break the “wall”. Some people become "bridges".
In this country where it is pointed out that indifference to politics is spreading, I dared to enter the political world.
Why did you choose the path of a politician in Japan who was born and raised in a foreign country and has lived for many years?
(Shinsuke Kanai)

20 years from India

“When you take a picture, make sure you do n’t hide the“ Ganesha ”behind me. It ’s rude.”

Suddenly, I was confused for a moment without knowing what was going on.

Ganesha is a Hindu god with a human body on the head of an elephant. I finally understood the meaning and thought: "If you don't make God rude ..."
The hand holding the camera is getting nervous.

Yogi-san and real name Pranik Yogendra (42 years old) taught me the precautions when shooting.

Born in India and has lived in Japan for about 20 years.
In April, he ran for the district assembly election in Tokyo, Edogawa Ward and won the first election.

“The reason I wanted to become a member of parliament came about in 2016 when a story about creating“ Little India ”like an Indian town in Edogawa Ward and Nishikasai was raised.”

Edogawa Ward is the most Indian local government in Japan. In particular, the private organization proposed to concentrate on the area called “Nishi-Kasai”, and Mr. Yogi felt doubts.

“I thought there was no economic sustainability and it wouldn't be helpful for people. I exchanged opinions with various people, including Indians, but there are others who have the same opinions I was also in. ''

What drove me

In fact, Yogi has also lived in Nishikasai. After visiting Japan for the first time as a government-sponsored international student in 1997, he traveled between India and Japan for a while to study abroad or find employment, and settled in Japan in 2003. In 2005, I moved to Edogawa Ward and set up a residence in Nishikasai, where there are many Indians.

“I lived in a housing complex and was in a community among Indians, so I was keenly aware of what I wanted as a community. The concept of“ Little India ”provided a Japanese language class for Indians. Or to build a hospital for Indians, it's better to increase the number of doctors who can speak English than that. I thought I should wake up. ''

However, his decision to become a member of parliament was not immediately settled. Since acquiring Japanese nationality in 2012, I was eligible to run for a while, but I had been running for a while. As a result, when I visited the Edogawa Ward Office for another business in January, I went to the election management committee.

“When I said,“ I want to participate in the election, ”I was asked,“ Do you have a nationality? ”When I answered yes, I said,“ Okay, I ’m very welcome. ” And he was very active and taught me a lot. "

However, worries continued after that. The biggest problem was a 300,000 yen deposit.

“If I didn't get enough votes, I was confiscated but I couldn't afford enough money. So I didn't get into the election, so I was really lost until March.”

Mr. Yogi who finally made a deposit by borrowing money. In March, he established his own political organization and began activities for the election.

Although he was not confident that he could win, the result was the 5th win with 6477 votes. The first Indian lawmaker was born in Japan.

Make everyone happy

When I asked Mr. Yogi about his future goals, he said, “I have just become a member of the Diet, so I will study now.”

“I want to think about the strategy of Edogawa Ward with a view to the future. First of all, I think that the best thing I can do for multicultural coexistence is that I am from a foreign country. Listening to opinions, understanding each other close together, reducing prejudice, and aiming for a society that is easy to live in. I want to think about various mechanisms for that.

On the other hand, the following thoughts were also revealed.

“To be honest, it's a bit difficult if you say you are from a foreign country. Even if I say something in Congress, I do n’t think you ’re just a proposal about foreigners. I want to think about what can be improved in society as a whole from a new point of view.

The chairman is “New Yorker”

Some members from abroad also served as chairpersons.
Bianchi Anthony (61 years old), city council member of Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture.

Bianchi is a fresh New Yorker born in New York.
He is currently the fifth term chairman for two years from 2017.

“The administration and the members of the Diet are all Japanese. I honestly wondered how I came here (Chairman). Japanese society is said to be difficult for foreigners, but I think the most important thing in the Congress. Was recognized as a good chairman, and the parliament moved normally. "

I started living in Japan 31 years ago when I stayed in Aichi Prefecture. Later, he was enrolled in the Inuyama City Board of Education and became an English teacher at a junior high school.

“When I tried to do something for my child, I was often fought by the Board of Education, saying“ I have no precedent ”or“ I get caught in the ordinance ”. Actually, there were various walls between the government and the citizens. ''

"Advance" than the previous example

In 2003, he was running for a city council election, saying “I really want to break that wall!”.
The principal also won an unexpected top prize.

“I was surprised. It was amazing because it was the most votes (in those days) in the history of the Inuyama City Council. Of course, there was a topic, but I think it was a sign that citizens were looking for change.”

However, when I became a member of the Diet, there were a lot of strange things.

“I was surprised that the members of the parliament didn't discuss. I thought, 'What is this? How are you deciding things in the parliament?' Isn't it the job of the legislators to move with this idea? We are not just a piece, but when I became a legislator, that climate still remained.

I want to be an open parliament. Proposed the “public comment system” to collect opinions from the public about the Internet distribution of the assembly and public works. In 2017, he became chairman. Introduced a system that was strongly desired from the beginning.

“I was most impressed as a member of the parliament during the two years of the chairman's day. The biggest thing was the realization of free speech.”

“I was surprised at how much attention was paid to it. It was natural for citizens to set up a place to express their opinions in the legislature. It was a good pressure for legislators and the administration became very sensitive. There is a person who says, “It is better to do it in the meeting room,” but the meaning is unknown.

Whether it ’s a foreigner or not.

Bianchi has challenged something unprecedented. If you work for the citizens, it doesn't matter if you are from a foreign country.

“It is natural that the number of legislators who have roots in foreign countries will increase, and that should be a plus for Japan. People who become lawmakers bother to take Japanese nationality and live long in Japan. If you work hard and benefit the citizens, it doesn't matter if you are a foreigner or a Japanese. "

From the back of the earth

The country where a variety of lawmakers come from extends to the back of the earth.
It is Noemi Inoue (57 years old) who is a member of the ward assembly in Sumida Ward, Tokyo.

Inoue was born in Bolivia, located almost in the center of South America. Originally, he was a career woman in Bali with experience working for the Central Bank of Bolivia and the United Nations.

Mr. Inoue has become a Japanese politician because of the influence of a Japanese husband.

“When I worked at the United Nations in New York, I got married to a husband who worked at UNICEF, the United Nations Children ’s Fund. I came to Japan in 1995 to become a politician. I always helped my husband's election and learned a lot about Japanese society and politics. "

In particular, there were many doubts about how Japanese society should be.

“While Japan is a developed country and very economically developed, the status of women is very low. Also, foreign women living in Japan have various problems and wanted to work on solutions. "

Inoue was elected for the first time in 2011 in the Sumida Ward election. Now is the third term.

“The number of foreigners in Sumida Ward is also increasing, so in order to create a multicultural society, I would like foreigners to receive the same support as Japanese people. For example, there are interpreters at hospitals and foreign languages. I can talk to a lawyer. Actually, it is difficult to realize, but I think my role is to create a peaceful society with few problems. ”

I asked the "original"

“I am really happy that there are many foreigners who want to participate in politics. I want to support you from the bottom of my heart.”

That's what former member of the House of Councilors Mr. Turunen Martei (79 years old) said.
It is the very “ancestor” of a foreign lawmaker who was active as the first legislator from Europe and America.
Without listening to the story of this person, this interview will not end.

Mr. Turunen, who retired from politics six years ago, lives with his family in his home in a quiet residential area of ​​Kamakura City.

Born in Finland, Scandinavia. Originally came to Japan as a Christian missionary, acquired Japanese nationality while earning a living in translation of Japanese classical literature and English conversation school, and in 1992, he was elected as a member of the town council election in Yugawara-cho, Kanagawa, and was elected for the first time. .

“There were some local council members at the English School, and they taught me what the parliamentary and parliamentary work was. On the other hand, the reputation of Yugawara members was very bad at the time. Listening to these things, I became interested in parliamentarians and parliamentary work, and gradually became my mission to become a parliamentarian. ''

After that, although he challenged the national election, he was defeated four times in a row. Although he was wondering whether he would run for the fifth time, in 2002, he was re-elected by Koizumi Ohashi, who was also elected as a proportional representative. The birth of the first “blue-eyed legislator” was a big topic at the time.

Be positive!

Mr. Turunen said he was trying to be a politician.

“What I disliked was the negative campaign in the election and how to make the other person's reputation worse than appealing the policy. What I was trying to do was“ Be Positive! ” When we asked for support in the election, we were required to appeal the policy without criticizing or attacking the other candidate. ”

And it was important to make friends with great effort.

“There is really a limit to what a member of parliament can do. So it is important to make friends. If you call for the formation of a parliamentary union on the theme of a certain policy, people who agree will gather soon. I'm studying beyond the boundaries of the faction, and my biggest achievement as a member of parliament is that I made a law with other members of the parliament during the opposition era. It was important to do with my friends. ''

Lastly, Mr. Turunen sent this ale to his juniors.

“They have the eyes of people from the outside, the lack of Japanese awareness, the role of making new progress, and changing aspects of closed Japanese society. I would like you to make positive suggestions and suggestions so that Japanese and foreigners can coexist in society.

Congressmen from foreign countries who are still minorities.
However, as the number of foreigners living in Japan increases, their presence will probably increase in the future. Keep an eye on their trends going forward.