JAPAN and the WORLD Magazine JANUARY ISSUE 2016 #Issue 14 | Page 46

MIE
INTERNATIONAL JAPAN
prefectural government office the rate is 16%,
the highest in Japan.
I was invited to the World Assembly for
Women in Tokyo: WAW! 2015. I took part in
the session, on “Engaging Men in Reforms.”
The session gave me an opportunity to
exchange opinions with Masako Mori (former
Minister of State for Gender Equality), Haruno
Yoshida (president of BT Japan), Phumzile
Mlambo-Ngcuka, (Executive Director, UN
Women), and Ing Kantha Phav (Minister of
Women’s Affairs, Cambodia).
Ise Shrine is dedicated to the goddess
Amaterasu. Amas have been active in Mie
for over a millennium. Professional wrestler
Saori Yoshida hails from Mie. All in all, Mie
Prefecture has a long history of women
playing important roles.
まずは、鈴木英敬知事がどのような想いを持って、
三重県知事に就任されたのかお伺いしたいと思
います。
Ninjya Museum in Iga city.
以前は経済産業省の官僚をしていましたが、第一
次安倍政権の際に、内閣官房で働く機会を得まし
た。
そこで、
いかに官僚が政治家の目標達成に向け
た努力を妨げるか、
目の当たりにしました。
同時に、
政治家の中には、官僚に政策策定の全局面を管理
することを求める人もいます。
in large cities like Tokyo, Yokohama, or Kyoto.
My goal is to develop Mie Prefecture as a
world-class host for international conferences. receives 6.5 million foreign visitors each year,
half a million of whom are thought to be golf
tourists. We believe such tourism will serve as
an economic stimulus in Mie. Mie is a major domestic
tourist destination. At the
same time, only 2% of the
guests in lodging facilities
are non-Japanese. With the
completion of the maglev
express in 2027, people will
be able to travel between
Tokyo and Nagoya in 40
minutes, and this will greatly
enhance access to Mie. Mie Prefecture is also the historic home of Iga
ninjas. I serve as chairman of the Japan Ninja
Council. We held a seminar on ninjas last July
at the Japanese Cultural Center in Paris. Ninjas
tend to be thought of as soldiers, but they also
served as police and bureaucrats. The seminar
featured information on the lifestyle and diet of
ninjas and was very well received. そして、
「 政治家にとっての妨げである官僚になる
べきか。
それとも、官僚に政策策定を委任しない政
治家になるか」
と迷うようになりました。自らの目
標を成し遂げる最短の道と考え、省庁を退職し、
政界に入ることを決意しました。衆議院議員選に
立候補したが、残念ながら落選してしまいました。
Japan is working to expand the
participation of women in society.
What are your views on this? その後、三重県に帰り活動しながら、三重県が世
界にも日本国内にも十分に知られていないと感じ
るようになりました。三重県のことをもっと知って
もらいたいという想いを抱くようになる中、知事選
挙に出馬することを周囲に勧められました。立候補
し、現在は知事を務めて二期目になります。
Mie is a major domestic tourist destination.
At the same time, only 2% of the guests in
lodging facilities are non-Japanese. With the
completion of the maglev express in 2027,
people will be able to travel between Tokyo
and Nagoya in 40 minutes, and this will
greatly enhance access to Mie. The prefecture
is still a bit off the beaten track for first-time
tourists to Japan, who usually visit places
like Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, and Kyoto, but we hope
to attract many foreign tourists making their
second visit to Japan.
Mie has 74 golf courses and has hosted
professional golf tours. The International
Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) is
headquartered in London and actively promotes
golf tourism. In the ASEAN region, Pattaya in
Thailand also promotes such tourism. Pattaya
45 // JANUARY 2016
Among Japan’s prefectural governors, I am
one of the most active in promoting such
participation, I believe greater participation
of women in society is very important . My
wife is a three-time Olympic synchronized
swimming competitor. Today she continues
to teach children and give lectures. As her
h usband I want to see her do well, and I
encourage her activities. When our first child
was born, I took paternity leave and always
encourage my staff to follow my example. I
believe greater male participation in child
rearing is critical if we are to achieve greater
participation in society for women.
To achieve greater participation for women,
Japanese men must change their attitudes
and approach to work. Enterprises much
change the way they work. I believe it is
men and enterprises, not women, that need
to change. Nationwide, the number of men
taking paternity leave averages 3%. In our
三重県のことをもっと知ってもらいたいという想い
が、今回のサミットの誘致活動にもつながっている
と思います。
2015年6月にサミットが伊勢志摩で開催されるこ
とが決定しました。伊勢志摩が開催地として選ば
れた要因は何だとお考えですか。
安倍総理の強い後援と、民間も含めた我々の誘致
活動が要因だと思っています。
安倍総理は日本の伝統や文化をとても大事にして
おり、三重県には幼少期からよく来られていまし
た。安倍総理は、
日本を通じてアジアの影響力や関
心事を世界に伝えたいと考えておられます。更に、
三重県の美しさや、
日本文化の源を象徴する伊勢
神宮を共有したいと考えておられます。
JAPAN AND THE WORLD MAGAZINE