Eiko Kimura

Eiko Kimura (木村 英子, Kimura Eiko, born May 11, 1965) is a Japanese politician, and one of the first severely disabled people to be elected to the House of Councillors. She has cerebral palsy and tetraplegia, and so she is not able to move anything below her neck other than her right hand.[1] She uses a wheelchair.

Early life

Kimura was born in Yokohama, Japan on May 11, 1965. She became tetraplegic after falling from a baby walker as a child and injuring her cervical vertebrae.[2] She grew up in a care home and attended the Hiratsuka School for Children with Disabilities, and graduated in 1984. She decided to live independently when she was 19, and moved to Kunitachi, Tokyo.[3] She knew very little about life outside of the care home, where she mostly interacted with other disabled people. This separation from non-disabled people inspired her work, and later her run for office.[4] Her husband was one of the volunteers who supported her after she moved to Tokyo. They married when she was 24, and had a son together.[2]

Career

Kimura began advocating for disability rights in her 30s, and founded Jiritsu Station Tsubasa, an organization that helps the disabled live independently.[5] She has also written two books, one about Jiritsu Station Tsuabasa and the other about the Sagamihara stabbings.

She ran for the House of Councillors in 2019 as a member of the Reiwa Shinsengumi. She was elected to office alongside Yasuhiko Funago, another newly elected disabled politician. The Diet chambers were renovated to accommodate both of their wheelchairs, adding a ramp and removing three seats. Kimura and Funago have called for social welfare services for the disabled to be reformed so that they can be accompanied by caregivers outside of their homes.[6] Kimura also advocates for better integration of the disabled in Japanese society after her experiences at the care home she grew up in and Hiratsuka School.[7]

Kimura is a member of the Land and Transport and Fundamental National Policies committees.[3]

References
  1. "Japan's first severely disabled lawmakers join parliament". BBC News. August 1, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  2. 日本放送協会. "木村英子さんの「愛とおかずがたっぷりのお弁当」 | 永田町・霞が関のサラめし". NHK政治マガジン (in Japanese). Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  3. "Ms.KIMURA Eiko：House of Councillors". www.sangiin.go.jp. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  4. Takenaka, Kiyoshi (July 17, 2019). "Japan disabled challenge stigma, barriers to run for upper house seat". Reuters. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  5. "木村　英子（きむら　えいこ）：参議院". www.sangiin.go.jp. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  6. Osaki, Tomohiro (August 1, 2019). "Opposition lawmakers with severe disabilities make Upper House debut after steps taken toward creating barrier-free Diet". The Japan Times. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  7. Suzuki, Miwa (February 12, 2020). "Lawmakers with disabilities fight 'invisibility' in Japan". The Japan Times. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
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