[Women of impact] NO YOUTH NO JAPAN empowers younger generations politically

In this [Women of impact] series, Zenbird features outstanding women who strive to make social-good changes in Japan. The severe lack of female leaders hinders Japan in achieving gender equality. We aim to support bridging the gender gap by sharing these women’s stories.

Despite the low participation of youth in Japan, there are noteworthy young individuals who are actively working to transform the democratic political landscape. We are honored to highlight one such woman who holds a leading position in this movement.

NO YOUTH NO JAPAN is an organization primarily composed of university students, aiming to make political participation more accessible for the younger generation in Japan. It has been active since the July 2019 House of Councillors election. Through managing Instagram media, organizing events and producing campaigns, NO YOUTH NO JAPAN (NYNJ) is creating opportunities for the under-30 generation to come together and contemplate the future of society.

In 2020, the organization became a certified non-profit general incorporated association and actively manages social media, including Instagram, while working towards improving voter turnout in elections. Their Instagram followers exceed 101,000 as of June 2023.

この投稿をInstagramで見る

NO YOUTH NO JAPAN(@noyouth_nojapan)がシェアした投稿

We interviewed the executive director, Momoko Nojo, to get an insight into their mission.

Interviwee profile: Momoko Nojo

Born in 1998, she graduated from Keio University’s Faculty of Economics. Pursued her studies at Keio University’s Graduate School of Economics, earning a Master’s degree. During her stay in Denmark in 2019, where the voter turnout among individuals in their 20s exceeded 80%, she established NO YOUTH NO JAPAN with the goal of promoting political engagement among Japan’s under-30 generation. Currently, serves as the executive director. The organization’s name encapsulates the belief that “Japan cannot exist without its younger generation.”

Launching NO YOUTH NO JAPAN

Q: What led you to start NYNJ?
Nojo: Initially, I didn’t have the intention of forming an organization. Rather, I had envisioned a campaign lasting about two weeks. In July 2019, there was a House of Councillors election, so I started focusing on providing easily understandable voting information through social media. At that time, I was studying abroad in Denmark. I noticed that the voter turnout among teenagers and people in their 20s was remarkably low in Japan (32% and 31%, respectively), and discussions about the younger generation’s concerns were lacking in politics. So, my initial motivation was to address and improve that situation.

I started engaging in these activities during my leave of absence from college while staying in Denmark. Within two weeks, I had gathered around 15,000 followers, which made me realize that I wasn’t the only one thinking about these issues. I had always felt it was difficult to discuss politics with my friends, so I thought that continuing these activities might be a good way forward. Since then, I have formed an organization and have been carrying out our activities for the past five years.

The biggest challenges to Japan’s unique political participation

Q: What do you think the challenges are in terms of democracy?
Nojo: It is difficult to have the experience of contributing to a significant change in politics through one’s vote, as there is often a lack of change in political power. Therefore, this could be a cause for a younger generation not going to vote. For Japan, I believe this is the most significant difference compared to advanced countries.

Another significant challenge is the issue of the minimum age for candidacy. I believe we should lower the age for the right to run for office, and NYNJ is working towards this goal. In Europe and other countries, the voting and candidacy age is 18, but in Japan, it is different, with higher ages such as 25 or 30 for candidacy. Due to the absence of young participants in the political arena, there is a limited ability to address the issues of the younger generation.

Taking actions to overcome challenges

Q: How are you tackling the issues related to democracy?
Nojo: I personally submitted my candidacy for the Kanagawa Prefecture Governor election during the local elections in March, but it was rejected on the grounds of being 25 years old. Now, I am considering taking legal action (a public lawsuit) against the government. This is because I believe that the right to participate in politics should be included in the fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Constitution, and it is unjust that one can only run for office starting from the age of 30.

Regarding this matter, while there are voices in favor of lowering the age of suffrage, there are also criticisms that I receive. Some argue that we should adhere to the rules and that young people should gain life experience before becoming politicians because their life experiences are still immature. However, I believe that at least anyone over the age of 18 should have the right. To address issues we face, young people should be involved as experts for the younger generation, and when it comes to matters concerning children, children should be the stakeholders.

NYNJ’s driving force and tips for success

Q: What motivates you to sustain your activities?

Nojo: Each successful experience has contributed to our growth until we gained attention for our activities. One of those successes was reaching 15,000 followers on Instagram within two weeks. Another example is distributing flyers with the project team helped increase voter turnout in a town in Hyogo Prefecture. Additionally, I believe there was a timing factor where my skills coincided with societal needs, even if only momentarily.

The fact that we gathered many great teammates also played a significant role. People I barely knew but who wanted to make a change came together and supported our activities in NYNJ. Many people who were not part of the management team also shared our content on social media. Therefore, I don’t necessarily think this kind of result is guaranteed, but I believe that as long as everyone does what they can in their respective roles, it will be beneficial.

In addition, our Instagram account, which we manage, is designed to be easily understandable even without much prior knowledge. It is structured in a way that allows people to enter from a specific issue and see how it ultimately connects to various other issues, rather than providing biased information.

While it is often perceived that Japanese youth have little interest in politics, they have a high awareness of social issues. Therefore, I believe it is important to connect social issues to politics as an entry point. Although the specific issues of interest may vary from person to person, they all share a common foundation of politics and democracy.

Desire to pass on to future generations

Q: What are your current goals?
Nojo: Now that I’m in my late twenties, I want to pass on my activities to the next younger generation. One of the reasons for the lack of presence of the younger generation in politics is the failure of their activities to continue beyond their own youth. I perceive this as an issue and want to work on improving it.

We want to lower the voting age with our own efforts. Gender issues among people in their twenties and thirties are significant and directly relate to increasing the number of attractive candidates. Despite the changing consciousness among young people, there is a reality that there are few female politicians in their twenties and thirties within the political sphere.

We can support youth organizations

Q: How can society help democratic activities?
Nojo: Activities like ours have a very fragile financial foundation. While it may be possible to engage in such activities as a university student, many people tend to discontinue their involvement once they enter the workforce. Therefore, it is important for society as a whole to reduce working hours, allowing individuals to devote more time to democratic activities. By doing so, we can increase the number of people who can dedicate their time to democratic engagement.

Furthermore, I hope to see a culture of donating to democratic activities take root in Japan. There is a prevalent mindset that when people make donations, they prefer them to be used directly for the activities, resulting in many foundations rejecting donations due to the inclusion of personnel expenses. However, activities require personnel costs, so I also hope to change the perception regarding donations.

For those who wish to support NYNJ activities, we are registered on a website called Syncable, where we constantly seek donations.

Nojo’s vision for the future

Q: What does your ideal Japanese society look like?
Nojo: In reality, society has become one where both men and women work, but I feel that Japanese policies have been intentionally created based on the concept that women should stay home and take care of the household. There are too many politicians who still adhere to the conventional mindset of the Showa era.

If you don’t fit into that framework, your life becomes significantly more difficult. For example, the assumption is that reliable parents or in-laws are there as a given, and the number of households that fit into the “typical family” envisioned by such politics has decreased significantly. Considering this, I hope for policy decisions that focus more on individuals as units. I believe that such a change alone would make a considerable difference.

I hope for a political landscape where everyone can establish a foundation for stable living. The rights of each individual should be protected. Therefore, a society where we can raise our voices against injustice is a must. I envision policy decisions that not only prioritize material well-being but also pursue spiritual enrichment.