Young Japanese Lawmakers Report Little Assets

Tokyo, July 21 (Jiji Press)–Young members of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, have little assets, according to their asset reports disclosed on Tuesday. Of the six Lower House members in their 20s who won seats in the February election, three reported holding no assets, and two others reported assets totaling less than 200,000 yen. The asset reports covered real estate, savings and deposits excluding current account and ordinary deposits, and other financial assets. Nagisa Muraki, 26, reported zero in all categories. “I reported it just the way it is,” She said. “I think this shows the real situation of younger generations.” Muraki, the youngest lawmaker in Japan, was elected for the first time on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s ticket. She previously worked at a nursing care company. Makoto Sasaki, also a first-time lawmaker, reported owning a minivehicle and having 120,000 yen in an investment trust. The 29-year-old lawmaker of the Democratic Party for the People ran in the largest constituency on the country’s main island, located in Iwate Prefecture, and therefore needed to spend a lot on traveling across the constituency. “The more actively I campaign, the less money I have left,” she said. Takumi Hayashi, a 28-year-old lawmaker of Team Mirai, reported having 190,000 yen in trust, as well as loans. Kai Odake, a 28-year-old DPFP lawmaker in his second term, reported no assets. “When I ran for the first time, I had little money, so I put up posters and did interior work at my office by myself,” Odake said. Koki Ozora, a 27-year-old LDP lawmaker, reported a car as his only asset. “The younger generation has relatively small assets,” he said. “I want to create an environment in which they can participate in politics more easily.” Yuki Murohashi, the 37-year-old representative director of the Japan Youth Council, which promotes the participation of young people in politics, said that paying the 3-million-yen deposit necessary to run in a single-seat constituency is a hurdle for young people. While there are public subsidies for campaign posters and flyers, Murohashi said that subsidies that can be used more flexibly could help reduce campaign costs. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]