Tokyo fashion designer Yasuko Maruko, 44, is an absolute beginner when it comes to becoming a politician, yet she is bidding for a seat in the Diet in the Dec. 16 general election in the hope of steering Japan toward a future without nuclear power.
Getting together the ¥6 million deposit for her candidacy was not easy for Maruko, a mother of two daughters. But the main purpose of her attempt is to show that the country's growing antinuclear grassroots movement is heading to the next stage of sending people to the Diet, following massive protests after the Fukushima No. 1 plant meltdown crisis started last year.
"I thought I needed to get involved in politics because after all, collecting petition signatures and joining demonstrations and rallies will not bring about major changes in government policies," she said.