米タイム誌 2023年の次世代の100人を発表

Japan officially lives in the Reiwa era, which means “order and harmony.” But Rina Gonoi may have broken that “order and harmony” for good—in more ways than one—when she became an advocate against sexual abuse. Rina’s dream as a child was to serve in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces following her rescue by female soldiers after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

That dream turned into a nightmare when she experienced sexual violence while serving, and then struggled to report the violence in an institution where more than 90% of soldiers are male. She left the military in 2022, and bravely launched a public campaign to demand truth and accountability. The resulting wave of support pushed officials to take action, launching a larger investigation into cases of harassment within the military, and prompted countless other women to come forward with their own stories. In Japanese society, speaking up about sexual violence has long been a taboo, but Rina’s courage has kicked the door open for all survivors.

Rare is an understatement for what Arfiya Eri represents in Japan. The member of parliament, who took office in April, marks a sharp break from her peers. In Japan, some 90% of parliamentary or ministerial posts are held by men, the average age of lawmakers is 56, and officials routinely claim the nation is mono­racial. But Eri, 34, is of Uighur-Uzbek heritage and can speak, to varying degrees of fluency, English, Chinese, Uzbek, Turkish, Uighur, and Arabic, in addition to Japanese. Eri has become a champion of diversity in Japan, but she doesn’t want the “old boys’ club” running the country to see her as a threat. She ran within the ruling conservative Liberal Democratic Party, embracing many of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s positions, and enjoying the support of Japan’s popular digital minister Taro Kono. Eri has pitched herself as a bridge to better representation of the country’s true diversity.