Seiko Noda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Seiko Noda
|
|
|---|---|
|
野田 聖子
|
|
Official portrait, 2019
|
|
| Minister-in-charge of Measures against Declining Birthrate | |
| In office 4 October 2021 – 10 August 2022 |
|
| Prime Minister | Fumio Kishida |
| Preceded by | Tetsushi Sakamoto |
| Succeeded by | Masanobu Ogura |
| Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications | |
| In office 3 August 2017 – 2 October 2018 |
|
| Prime Minister | Shinzo Abe |
| Preceded by | Sanae Takaichi |
| Succeeded by | Masatoshi Ishida |
| Minister of Posts and Telecommunications | |
| In office 30 July 1998 – 5 October 1999 |
|
| Prime Minister | Keizō Obuchi |
| Preceded by | Shozaburo Jimi |
| Succeeded by | Eita Yashiro |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office 19 July 1993 |
|
| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Constituency | Former Gifu 1st (1993–1996) Gifu 1st (1996–2009; 2012–present) Tōkai PR (2009–2012) |
| Member of the Gifu Prefectural Assembly | |
| In office April 1987 – 4 February 1990 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 September 1960 Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic |
| Spouses |
Yōsuke Tsuruho
(m. 2001; div. 2006)Fuminobu Noda
(m. 2011) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Uichi Noda (grandfather) |
| Alma mater | Sophia University |
Seiko Noda (野田 聖子, Noda Seiko; born September 3, 1960) is a well-known Japanese politician. She served as the Minister-in-charge of Measures against Declining Birthrate from October 2021 to August 2022. She is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), one of Japan's main political parties. Before this, she was the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications from 2017 to 2018 under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Seiko Noda is also a member of the House of Representatives, which is like one of the houses of parliament in Japan. She has been elected five times to represent the 1st District of Gifu Prefecture.
Contents
Seiko Noda's Early Life
Seiko Noda was born in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan. Her grandfather, Uichi Noda, was a very important person in the government. He worked as a Vice Minister in the Ministry of Finance and later became a member of the lower house of parliament. He also served as the Chief Secretary for the Economic Planning Agency and the Minister of Construction. Seiko Noda was born with the last name Shima, but she later officially took her grandfather's name, Noda, before she started her political career.
She went to Futaba Academy Secondary School in Tokyo. For one year, she also studied in the United States at Jonesville High School in Jonesville, Michigan. In 1983, she graduated from Sophia University in Japan, where she studied different cultures. After college, she worked at the famous Imperial Hotel.
Seiko Noda's Political Journey
In 1987, Seiko Noda started her political journey by running for a seat in the Gifu Prefectural Assembly, and she won! She was very interested in the big debate happening at the time about introducing a sales tax. She was inspired by the popularity of Takako Doi, a female politician from the Socialist Party. This made Seiko Noda realize she wanted to work on national issues.
In the 1990 national elections, she didn't get the support of her party, the LDP, and lost. But in 1993, she ran again with the slogan "An LDP lady in the lower house" and won! At that time, there were no other female LDP members in the lower house. She was re-elected many times, including in the September 2005 election.
After the 1993 elections, the LDP was not the main party in power. So, Seiko Noda started her career in the lower house as a member of the opposition. In 1996, she became the Vice Minister of Posts. Then, in 1998, she became the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications at just 37 years old. This made her the youngest cabinet minister in Japan after World War II! The Prime Minister at the time, Keizo Obuchi, even called her "the future candidate for female Prime Minister." She became well-known for being the first woman to hold a special role called Diet Countermeasure Committee Vice-chair and House Steering Committee Program Director.
In 2008, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda appointed her as the State Minister in charge of Consumer Affairs. She kept this role when Taro Aso became Prime Minister later that year.
In September 2021, Seiko Noda announced she wanted to become the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party. On October 4, 2021, she was appointed to a new government by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. She was given several important jobs, including Minister for Promoting Dynamic Engagement of All Citizens, Minister in charge of Regional Revitalization, and Minister of State for Measures for Declining Birthrate. She left her role as minister in August 2022.
Seiko Noda's Key Policies
Seiko Noda sees herself as a mainstream conservative. This means she believes in following the spirit of Japan's constitution and the main ideas of her party, the LDP. She also believes that a country's success depends on valuing its people and helping them develop their skills and talents.
Postal Privatization Debate
In 2005, Seiko Noda became well-known for speaking out against a plan by Prime Minister Koizumi to privatize the postal service. This means turning the government-run postal service into a private company. She argued that the plan would negatively affect people's daily lives. She believed that even countries like the United States, which often support less government control, still keep their postal services under government management.
She continued to oppose the bill strongly. When it was time to vote in the lower house, she voted against it, even though her party wanted everyone to vote for it. The bill passed the lower house by a small number of votes but failed in the upper house.
After new elections were held, and Prime Minister Koizumi's party won many seats, Seiko Noda changed her view. She said she understood that the election results showed people wanted the postal service to be privatized quickly. So, she decided to vote for the proposal.
Women Keeping Their Names After Marriage
Seiko Noda has been a strong supporter of women being able to keep their original family name after marriage if they choose to. In Japan, traditionally, women take their husband's last name. In 2001, she led a group of female politicians to propose a system that would allow couples to choose to keep separate names. This idea gained a lot of attention. She has continued to work on this issue, believing it is important for women's rights.
Addressing the Declining Birthrate
Seiko Noda has focused a lot on the issue of Japan's declining birthrate. This means fewer babies are being born each year, which can cause problems for the country's future. She has personally experienced challenges related to having children. In 2004, she wrote a book called "I want to give birth" to share her experiences and raise awareness. She also wrote "Who is taking away our future - fighting the declining birthrate" in 2005.
She has argued against the idea that women don't have babies because they choose careers. She points out that in many Western countries, women work a lot, but the birthrates are still high. Seiko Noda has proposed ideas to help increase the population and has challenged traditional views within her own party on this topic. In 2010, she had a child at the age of 50.
Books Written by Seiko Noda
Seiko Noda has written several books, sharing her thoughts and experiences.
Books She Wrote Herself
- December 1987: I am Seeing
- June 1994: Under the pretext of reform
- February 1996: Things I want to get across to the people - politics spoken with sincerity
- December 2004: I want to give birth
- May 2005: Who is taking away our future - fighting the declining birthrate
Books She Wrote with Others
- October 2001: Japan will win the post-IT era! - proposals of seven leading figures (co-authored with Tomoyuki Sugiyama)
Images for kids
-
Official portrait, 2019
Related Links
- Politics of Japan
- Cabinet of Japan
