TANAKA: He says he wants to wipe out the disgrace of a defeat three years ago. Is politics some kind of a sporting rematch? That’s his own problem. We are talking about the job of prime minister, someone who has to be responsible for more than 100 million people. Having him in the race is like putting the hands of a clock backward.
He is a rather unusual character in Japanese political circles. He is outspoken and decisive. He has his own mind. He doesn’t share the same hobbies as other politicians, like golfing or playing mah-jongg. That’s what I meant when I called him an “eccentric.” Japanese businessmen don’t seem to know how to talk, especially when women are around. That is why they ask the same old questions like, “How many children do you have?” You know, that sort of question can be rude to some people. But Koizumi is not like that. I urged him to leave his “faction” within the party, and he actually did so. I think we need a man like him now.
I had the almost painful experience of watching my father being prime minister and learning what a hard and solitary job it is. I am not quite sure I am capable of taking on such a great task. But I am a public figure and if the people really push me to do the job, I won’t say no.
My childhood friends say that I haven’t changed at all even after becoming a politician. So this outspokenness may be my own nature. Of course, the media, including you, would not be here if not for my father. Right?
You see, my elder brother died very young. After that, my parents kept saying, “We wish Makiko was a boy.” I think I was brought up to be a person who could take on responsibility. My family used to debate a lot, and my father would say, “If you cannot convince Makiko, you can never be a politician.” I was called the opposition party within the family. I also think the fact that I spent my high-school years in the States has something to do with it. There was a class in which we had to make a five-minute speech. That training helped me to learn how to state my opinions.
I must say that there are many female politicians within the Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party who have a sense of mission, who represent the true voices of workers and know their problems. You can tell that by watching how they ask questions at various committee meetings.
Unfortunately, female LDP politicians don’t seem to know why they entered politics or what they want to do. They cling to either bureaucrats or faction bosses. Look at the daughter of late prime minister Keizo Obuchi. The only time we hear her voice is when she’s chatting with male politicians in the Diet. Men and women should be equal, but in our party I am afraid that women are treated like window dressing.
They don’t like to take responsibility. They tend to run away from problems without solving them. They have a herd mentality. I think they don’t have enough confidence in themselves and the reason is because they have not lived according to their own convictions.
My goodness, I never thought of becoming a politician in the first place. I never particularly liked Diet members. What motivated me was a little different: I had to take care of my ailing father for almost 10 years. I learned the shortcomings of the welfare system of this country, how many regulations I had to fight and how the media treated us. I felt that the system had no sympathy or understanding of human pains. I thought I could become a lawmaker and change that.
