Renhō Explained

Renhō Saitō
Native Name Lang:ja
Office1:President of the Democratic Party
Term Start1:1 October 2016
Term End1:27 July 2017
Predecessor1:Katsuya Okada
Successor1:Seiji Maehara
Office5:Member of the House of Councillors
Term Start5:11 July 2004
Term End5:20 June 2024
Constituency5:Tokyo
Office2:Minister of State for Government Revitalization
Term Start3:8 June 2010
Term End3:27 June 2011
Predecessor3:Yukio Edano
Successor3:Yukio Edano
Primeminister3:Naoto Kan
Office4:Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety
Term Start4:14 January 2011
Term End4:27 June 2011
Predecessor4:Tomiko Okazaki
Successor4:Goshi Hosono
Primeminister4:Naoto Kan
Term Start2:2 September 2011
Term End2:13 January 2012
Predecessor2:Yukio Edano
Successor2:Katsuya Okada
Primeminister2:Yoshihiko Noda
Birth Date:28 November 1967
Birth Place:Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
Birthname:Hsieh Lien-fang (謝蓮舫)
Children:2
Party:Independent (since 2024)
Otherparty:DPJ (2004–2016)
DP (2016–2017)
CDP (2017–2024)
Alma Mater:Aoyama Gakuin University
Peking University
Citizenship:Taiwan (1967–2016)
Japan (since 1985)
T:謝蓮舫
S:谢莲舫
P:Xiè Liánfǎng
Bpmf:ㄒㄧㄝˋ ㄌㄧㄢˊ ㄈㄤˇ
J:ze6 lin4 fong2
Y:Jeh Lìhnfóng
Shinjitai:斉藤 蓮舫
Kyujitai:齊藤 蓮舫
Hiragana:さいとう れんほう
Revhep:Saitō Renhō
Kunrei:Saitô Renhô
Former Japanese name
Also Known As:Murata
Kyujitai:村田
Shinjitai:村田
Hiragana:むらた
Revhep:Murata
Kunrei:Murata

, commonly known mononymously by her given name,, is a Japanese politician and former journalist who served as member of the House of Councillors from 2004 to 2024. She was the leader of the now-defunct major opposition party, the Democratic Party from 2016 to 2017. Renhō was a candidate for the 2024 Tokyo gubernatorial election with the support of the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), Japanese Communist Party (JCP), and the Social Democratic Party (SDP),[1] but was defeated by incumbent Yuriko Koike, placing third behind Shinji Ishimaru.[2]

Early and personal life

Renhō was born Hsieh Lien-fang in Tokyo to a Japanese mother and Han Taiwanese father . She studied at Aoyama Gakuin in Tokyo from kindergarten through university. She enrolled in the law faculty of Aoyama Gakuin University and graduated in 1990 with the B.L. degree in Public Law.

Born as a citizen of Taiwan, she did not become a citizen of Japan until 1985 when Japanese nationality law was amended to allow Japanese mothers to pass Japanese nationality to their children.[3] [4] She was legally a dual citizen until 2016.[5] She adopted her mother's surname,, when she acquired Japanese citizenship; to avoid name confusion in her career, she began to go simply by Renhō.

After her debut as a Clarion Girl in 1988, Renhō appeared on several television and radio programs as a commentator. In 1993, she became a newscaster on TBS and TV Asahi, covering several historical events including the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995.[6]

She was married in 1993. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and had also studied it at Peking University in Beijing, China, from 1995 to 1997. Renhō returned to television in 2000, anchoring and reporting on several TBS programs. She reported from Taiwan during Chen Shui-bian's presidential campaign, which brought her to the attention of Taiwanese political leaders.[7] [8] In Taiwan, she is often referred to as Lien-fang, the Standard Chinese pronunciation of her given name.

Political career

In July 2004, Renhō was elected to the House of Councillors representing Tokyo as a member of the Democratic Party of Japan. Since election, she has been heavily involved in parenting issues and policies. Renhō has criticized Japan's diplomacy with the People's Republic of China and its refusal to recognize Taiwan, stating that "Japan is too polite when dealing with China, taking a low profile" and "Taiwan is my father's country. Why isn't Taiwan a country?"[7] Since taking office, she has traveled to Taiwan several times on official and unofficial business, garnering extensive public and media attention, and has become close to senior members of the Democratic Progressive Party.

DPJ government (2009–12)

After the DPJ assumed the reins of government in September 2009, she received much public attention for her stern stance and direct questions to bureaucrats during special fiscal screening committees of the established under Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.[9]

In June 2010, then Prime Minister Naoto Kan appointed her as Minister for Administrative Reforms.[10] Upon taking the post, Renhō stated that she would be giving particular attention to eliminating waste in the 21 government account.[11] She lost her seat in Cabinet in a subsequent reshuffle, but was retained as a special advisor to the Prime Minister.

In the 2010 House of Councillors election, she garnered a record 1,710,734 constituency votes.[12]

She served as a member of the Cabinet of Japan from 2010 to 2012, serving as Minister for Government Revitalisation and Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety. In September 2011, she was re-appointed as State Minister of Government Revitalization (responsible for administrative reforms) in the cabinet of then prime minister Yoshihiko Noda. Her new portfolio also included responsibility for civil service reform, gender equality and Japan's declining birthrate. She served in this post until a cabinet reshuffle in January 2012.

The DPJ was ousted from government in the 2012 general election, following which Renhō returned to the opposition bench. She retained her seat in the 2016 House of Councillors Election.[13]

Leader of the Democratic Party (2016–17)

In September 2016, she was elected as the leader of Japan's Democratic Party, making her the first woman elected as their leader, and the first person with mixed ethnic heritage and born with foreign citizenship to head a major political party in Japan.[14] [15] As head of the Democratic Party, she stated her opposition to revisions of Article 9 of the Constitution, but that she was willing to join debates with the Liberal Democratic Party on other constitutional revisions. She viewed Abenomics to be a partial success, but pushes for greater investment in education, child-rearing and nursing care. She also ruled out forming a coalition government with the Japanese Communist Party and opposed the TPP.[16]

During the presidential election, Renhō claimed that she had given up her Taiwanese citizenship. However, reports emerged that her Taiwanese citizenship had not been properly renounced. In response to doubts regarding her legal status, she took steps to renounce her Taiwanese citizenship beginning in late 2016.

In July 2017, the Democratic Party suffered a very poor showing in the Tokyo prefectural election. Some senior party members blamed the results, in part, on the ongoing questions surrounding Renhō's citizenship.[17] In response to these concerns, she provided evidence of her renunciation of Taiwanese citizenship at a press conference later that month. Days after her press conference, and days following the resignation of former prime minister Yoshihiko Noda as party secretary-general, Renhō resigned as party leader, stating that she had not shown sufficient ability to lead it.[18]

In the CDP (2017–2024)

Dissatisfied with the ambiguous direction of the DP leadership post the 2017 election, Renhō expressed interest in joining the new progressive Constitutional Democratic Party and had an exploratory talk with CDP leader Yukio Edano in mid-December.[19] She applied to join the CDP on December 26, 2017 citing the DP's lack of policy directions and the CDP's conversely clear policy directions.[20] [21] The CDP admitted her into the party on December 28, 2017.[22] [23]

On May 27, 2024, Renhō announced that she would run in the 2024 Tokyo gubernatorial election, an office held at the time by Yuriko Koike.[24] [25] She automatically lost her seat in the House of Councillors on June 20, the day of the official announcement (kokuji) of the gubernatorial election.[26] [27] [28] Renhō underperformed expectations, securing 1,283,262 votes, accounting for 18.8% of the total vote share.

Family

Renhō married journalist in August 1993, and gave birth to fraternal twins Rin (a boy) and Suiran (a girl) in 1997; Rin went on to become a male "idol" performer.[29] The couple divorced by mutual consent in August 2020. According to her ex-husband, Renhō proposed the divorce as she wanted to stay in Tokyo and continue her political work, while her husband wanted to move out of the city.[30] Following the divorce, her ex-husband told a television reporter that "our relationship hasn't changed; we just don't live together."[31]

Renhō has two siblings, one brother who is one year older, and one brother who is two years younger.[32] Mark Chen, a Taiwanese politician and former Secretary-General of the Office of the President of the Republic of China, is a distant relative of hers.[33]

Notes and References

  1. News: 自民・公明は小池氏を自主支援、立民・共産・社民は蓮舫氏を全面支援…東京都知事選挙で各党対応 . 20 June 2024 . . 20 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240620143121/https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/election/tochijisen/20240620-OYT1T50189/ . live . ja.
  2. Web site: Inoue . Yukana . 2024-07-07 . Koike secures third term as Tokyo governor . 2024-07-08 . The Japan Times . en.
  3. Web site: Birth Registration. 10 June 2010. British Embassy in Japan. 22 October 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081022220013/http://ukinjapan.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/living-in-japan/marriage-birth-death/how-register-birth . dead.
  4. Web site: Renho Profile. 10 June 2010. Official Renho Website. ja . 28 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200928030640/https://renho.jp/profile_org/ . live.
  5. News: It's official ... opposition leader Renho is 100% Japanese. 2017-07-19. The Asahi Shimbun. 2017-10-10. en-us. https://web.archive.org/web/20170722020812/http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201707190042.html. dead. 2017-07-22.
  6. Web site: Renho, Cabinet Profiles, Kan Cabinet (Formed 8 June 2010. The Japan Times. https://web.archive.org/web/20110623232133/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cabinet/cabinet.html?formed=20100608_01&date=20100608&member=17. 2011-06-23. dead.
  7. News: Japanese politician with roots in Taiwan latest media darling . Taipei Times . 16 Aug 2004 . 3 . Su, Joy . 18 September 2004 . https://web.archive.org/web/20040918153655/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2004/08/16/2003198960 . live.
  8. News: Huang Tai-lin . President wants Renho to be bridge . Taipei Times . 17 Aug 2004 . 3 . 18 September 2004 . https://web.archive.org/web/20040918183540/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2004/08/17/2003199064 . live.
  9. News: PROFILE: Renho spotlighted in waste-cutting debate . . 5 June 2010 . 3 . 11 June 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100611063914/http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20100605p2g00m0fp031000c.html . dead.
  10. News: Pesek. William. Ex-Model Gives Economic Change New Meaning. 24 September 2015. Bloomberg L.P.. 9 June 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924194952/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-09/former-model-gives-meaning-to-economic-change-commentary-by-william-pesek.html . live.
  11. News: Renho beats drum against waste . . 10 June 2010 . 3 . 6 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110606212702/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100609x2.html . dead.
  12. News: 蓮 舫 : プロフィル : 参院選2010 : 参院選 : 選挙 : YOMIURI ONLINE(読売新聞) . Yomiuri.co.jp . 2016-09-15 . 2 July 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100702080618/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/election/sangiin/2010/profile/ye13004.htm . dead.
  13. Web site: DP's Renho wins third Upper House term . The Japan Times . 2016-07-10 . 2016-09-15. 14 July 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160714202642/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/07/10/national/politics-diplomacy/dps-renho-wins-third-upper-house-term . live.
  14. Web site: Japan's Democratic Party Elects Renho as New Leader . September 15, 2016 . The Wall Street Journal . 15 September 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160915133428/https://www.wsj.com/articles/japans-democratic-party-elects-renho-as-new-leader-1473918605 . live.
  15. Web site: Japan's opposition party just elected Renho Murata to be its leader—the first time a woman will fill the role — Quartz . Qz.com . 15 September 2016 . 2016-09-15. 16 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160916202233/http://qz.com/782214/japans-opposition-party-just-elected-renho-murata-to-be-its-leader-the-first-time-a-woman-will-fill-the-role/ . live.
  16. Web site: Renhō elected leader of main opposition Democratic Party . The Japan Times . 2016-09-15 . 2016-09-16. 16 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160916051545/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/09/15/national/politics-diplomacy/renho-elected-leader-of-main-opposition-democratic-party/ . live.
  17. News: Renho's nationality disclosure raises discrimination concerns, fails to unite DP. 2017-07-19. Mainichi Daily News. 2017-10-10. en. 28 July 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170728114558/https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170719/p2a/00m/0na/021000c . live.
  18. News: Japan's Main Opposition Leader Resigns Amid Turmoil in Her Party. 2017-07-27. Bloomberg.com. 2017-10-10. 27 July 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170727094836/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-27/japan-s-main-opposition-leader-resigns-amid-turmoil-in-her-party . live.
  19. News: Frustrated ex-DP chief Renho wants to know 'what kind of party' CDP is. Jiji Press via Japan Times. 2017-12-15. 2017-12-29. en. 15 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171215102616/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/12/15/national/politics-diplomacy/frustrated-ex-dp-chief-renho-wants-know-kind-party-cdp . live.
  20. News: 蓮舫元代表も立憲入りへ=民進、混迷深まる. Jiji Press via Yahoo! Japan. 2017-12-26. 2017-12-29. ja. 2017-12-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20171226182308/https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20171226-00000050-jij-pol. dead.
  21. News: 蓮舫氏、立民へ入党届. Kyodo News. 2017-12-26. 2017-12-29. ja. 2017-12-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20171229060912/https://this.kiji.is/318319999968674913. dead.
  22. News: DP grants membership to former DP leader Renho. Jiji Press via Japan Times. 2017-12-28. 2017-12-29. en. 28 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171228142515/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/12/28/national/politics-diplomacy/cdp-grants-membership-former-dp-leader-renho . live.
  23. News: 蓮舫氏が脱「二重党籍」 民進党が離党届受理. Sankei Shimbun. 2018-01-10. 2018-01-10. ja. 11 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180111164928/https://www.sankei.com/smp/politics/news/180110/plt1801100020-s1.html . live.
  24. Web site: High-profile opposition and pro-peace lawmaker Renho to run for Tokyo governor. 27 May 2024. Kyodo News. 27 May 2024. 27 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240527004215/https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2024/05/15937cf66034-high-profile-opposition-figure-renho-plans-to-run-for-tokyo-governor.html . live.
  25. Web site: Inoue . Yukana . 2024-06-13 . Renho, the liberal politician who might dethrone Tokyo's Koike . 2024-06-18 . The Japan Times . en. 19 June 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240619095422/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/06/13/japan/politics/renho-profile/ . live.
  26. Web site: 2024-06-06. 蓮舫氏、都知事選告示日まで「参院議員」辞めず 「自動失職」を明言、石丸伸二氏と対応分かれる . 2024-06-28 . . 6 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240606074033/https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/331883 . live . ja.
  27. News: 2024-06-20. 蓮舫氏が参院議員失職 補選日程は確定せず . 2024-06-28 . . 20 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240620032215/https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2024062000086&g=pol . live . ja.
  28. Web site: Tokyo governor race begins with Koike, opposition-backed Renho clash. 20 June 2024. Kyodo News. 20 June 2024. 20 June 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240620023204/https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2024/06/930f8085f532-tokyo-governor-race-begins-with-koike-opposition-backed-renho-clash.html . live.
  29. Web site: 2020-08-26. 蓮舫議員と離婚の夫が27年の夫婦関係を告白 離婚は「ショックだった。でも…」 〈dot.〉. 2020-09-14. AERA dot. (アエラドット). ja. 3 October 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231003113657/https://dot.asahi.com/articles/-/85647 . live.
  30. Web site: 蓮舫議員"使い捨て離婚"の真相 家事、育児してきたのは夫(NEWS ポストセブン). 2020-09-14. Yahoo!ニュース. ja. 4 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200904053859/https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/b4eb5189a5c9cb8c84a4c38a59dab874f87cc4ec . dead.
  31. Web site: 蓮舫参院議員が離婚…元夫の村田信之さんに離婚の経緯を取材. 2020-09-14. FNNプライムオンライン. 25 August 2020 . 26 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200826031816/https://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/77182 . live.
  32. News: Japan's fiscal firebrand. 2 June 2010. Japan Times. 8 June 2010 . 7 May 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100507014838/http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20100502x1.html . dead.
  33. News: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/world/news/20100608-OYT1T00957.htm?from=top. ja:「バナナ娘」蓮舫が大臣に…台湾で大々的報道 . 8 June 2010. Yomiuri Shimbun. 8 June 2010. ja. 11 June 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100611032551/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/world/news/20100608-OYT1T00957.htm . dead.