Arfiya Eri
Arfiya Eri | |
|---|---|
英利アルフィヤ | |
_02.png) Eri in 2018 | |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office 23 April 2023 | |
| Constituency | Chiba 5th (2023–2024) Southern Kanto PR block (2024–present) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 October 1988 Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan |
| Citizenship | Japan |
| Political party | Liberal Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | Georgetown University |
| Website | Government website |
| Arfiya Eri | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 英利 阿丽菲亚 | ||||||
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Arfiya Eri (Japanese: 英利 アルフィヤ, romanized: Eri Arufiya; born 16 October 1988[1]) is a Japanese politician for the Liberal Democratic Party of Uyghur and Uzbek descent.
Biography
[edit]She was born in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. Her father is Uyghur while her mother is of Uzbek descent. She moved to Shanghai at age 10 and Guangzhou at age 11 due to her father's work relocation, and attended the Shanghai American School and the American International School of Guangzhou, where she was elected high school student body president. She graduated from Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service and Graduate School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C. Her native language is Japanese, and says she is able to communicate in English, Chinese, Uzbek, Turkish and Uyghur with considerable fluency, plus basic level Arabic.[2][3] Arfiya previously spent time as an official for the Bank of Japan and the United Nations.[4]
She ran as an LDP candidate during the 2022 Japanese House of Councillors election.[5] In April 2023, she was elected to the Japanese House of Representatives in a by-election for Chiba's 5th district.[6]
Political positions
[edit]She has described her policies as in line with most mainstream LDP positions. She has been vocal about her support for initiatives to promote gender equality in Japan. Eri has noted that female and young politicians are rare in Japan (She was 33 years old as of July 2022), saying that, "We need better representation -- we need young people to feel that they are being represented, that the future is in their hands. Right now, a lot of antagonism comes from the fact that most of the politicians look the same to them."[3]
Eri is strongly anti-authoritarian, a position she says is shaped by China's human rights abuses against Uyghurs in Xinjiang.[3][7]
References
[edit]- ^ "えり アルフィヤ「決断と実行。暮らしを守る。」2022年 第26回参議院選挙". 自由民主党 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-04-25.
- ^ https://www.eri-arfiya.jp/
- ^ a b c "A 33-Year-Old Female Fights 'Old Boys' Club' in Japan Election". Bloomberg.com. 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
- ^ "From 'get married' to getting elected – women a record one-third of candidates in Japan poll | Japan | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
- ^ "Uyghur News Recap: June 17-24, 2022". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
- ^ Johnston, Eric (2023-04-24). "Kishida rules out snap poll after LDP wins big in Sunday by-elections". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
- ^ Hiyama, Hiroshi (2022-06-20). "Uyghur-heritage candidate urges Japan to 'embrace diversity'". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-01-20.[dead link]
- 1988 births
- Living people
- Members of the House of Representatives from Chiba Prefecture
- Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians
- Japanese bankers
- Japanese officials of the United Nations
- People from Kitakyushu
- Politicians from Fukuoka Prefecture
- Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni
- Women members of the House of Representatives (Japan)
- 21st-century Japanese women politicians
- Japanese people of Uyghur descent
- Japanese expatriates in China
- Japanese expatriates in the United States
- Uyghur politicians
- Japanese politicians of Chinese descent
- Japanese people of Uzbek descent