, real name (born 10 May 1933 as , is a Japanese

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

. During her 30-year-long political career, she served in some important posts. She became the first female President of the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or ...

in 2004. Her pseudonymous surname is also spelled Ogi, Ōgi and Ohgi for a variety of Hepburn romanization systems. She herself uses Oogi.

Early life

Oogi was born and brought up in

Kobe, Hyogo Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, which ...

. She survived the Kobe Air Raid at age 11. She wrote later that her experience of the air raid had convinced her to make efforts to attain

peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

and

national defense National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military attac ...

.Chikage Oogi, ''Dekiru Koto Deki nai Koto'', Sekaibunkasha,

Stage career

Oogi graduated from

Takarazuka Music School Takarazuka Music School (宝塚音楽学校, ''Takarazuka Ongaku Gakkō'') is a private girls' school in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It is a Takarazuka Revue training school that is a miscellaneous vocational school approved by Hyō ...

and joined the

Takarazuka Revue The is a Japanese all-female musical theatre troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals and stories adapted from films, novels, manga, and Japa ...

in April 1954. Her first movie appearance was in October of that year. She retired from the revue in 1958 and married Kotaro Hayashi, a

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is though ...

actor later known as Tojuro Sakata. Oogi had been a full-time

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American and Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational, day-to-day operations of a hous ...

for a year until she returned to work in a television drama on 29 October 1959, and later appeared on many television dramas and variety shows. She also hosted a popular tabloid show '' Sanji no Anata'' from 1971 to 1977. One of her co-hosts was

Yoshiko Ōtaka was a Japanese singer, actress, journalist, and politician. Born in China, she made an international career in film in China, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States. Early in her career, the Manchukuo Film Association concealed her Japanese ori ...

, who was elected to the House of Councillors in 1974.

Filmography

* '' Kaiketsutaka'' Series, 1954 * '' Onna no Gakkō'', 1955 * '' Hatsukoi Waltz'', 1955 * '' Shirai Gonpachi'', 1956 * '' Shippū! Kurama Tengu'', 1956 * '' Hakoiri Musume to Bantō'', 1956 * '' Koi sugata kitsune goten'' (恋すがた狐御殿) (1956) * '' Otoko no Hanamichi'', 1956 * '' Ujō'', 1957 * '' Bibō no Miyako'', 1957 * '' A Teapicker's Song of Goodbye'', 1957 * '' A Farewell to the Woman Called My Sister'', 1957 * '' Hanayome wa Matteiru'', 1957 * '' Seishun Kōro'', 1957 * '' A Holiday in Tokyo'', 1958 * '' Salaryman Shusse Taikōki'', 1958 * '' Mikkokusha wa Dare ka'', 1958 * '' Sanroku'', 1962 * '' Mujō Hijō'', 1968 * '' Profound Desires of the Gods'', 1968

Political career

Strenuously lobbied to run by

Takeo Fukuda was a Japanese politician who was Prime Minister of Japan from 1976 to 1978. Early life and education Fukuda was born in Gunma, capital of the Gunma Prefecture on 14 January 1905. He hailed from a former samurai family and his father was mayor ...

, Oogi first elected to the House of Councillors as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party in 1977. She was voted out in 1989, but elected again in 1993. The following year she left the LDP and joined the

Japan Renewal Party The was a Japanese political party that existed in the early 1990s. It was founded in 1993 by 44 members of the Liberal Democratic Party led by Tsutomu Hata and Ichirō Ozawa. It was instrumental in ending the LDP's 38-year dominance of Japanese ...

, which merged into the New Frontier Party on 10 December 1994. The NFP torn up on 31 December 1997, Oogi became a member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, stringing along with

Ichirō Ozawa is a Japanese politician and has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1969, representing the Iwate 3rd district (Iwate 2nd district prior to the 1996 general election and Iwate 4th district prior to the 2017 general election). H ...

. It was in 2000 that Oogi came to the forefront. She founded the Conservative Party, renamed the

New Conservative Party New Conservative Party (or similar names) may refer to: * New Conservative Party (UK), 1960–1962 * New Conservative Group, Australia, 1991–1992 * New Conservative Party (Japan), 2000–2003 * New Zealand Conservative Party, 1996-c.1998 * New C ...

soon, and became its first leader in April.

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Sta ...

Yoshiro Mori appointed Oogi as Minister of Construction and Director General of the

National Land Agency National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

in July, and also as

Minister of Transportation A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...

and Director General of Hokkaido Development Agency in December. When these ministries and agencies merged into the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as a result of the administrative reform of 2001, Oogi was installed as its first minister. She drew the nameboard displayed at the entrance of the building of the ministry with black ink and a brush. The New Conservative Party's debacle at the House of Councillors election in July 2001 heightened calls among party members for a change in leadership. Oogi resigned as party leader and was succeeded by

Takeshi Noda is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). Background and career A native of Tokyo and graduate of the University of Tokyo he joined the Ministry ...

on 17 September 2001. Oogi joined the Liberal Democratic Party in 2003 again. She was installed as the 26th President of the House of Councillors on 30 July 2004. She attended at the World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments held by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in September 2005. In October 2006 she made an official visit to China. In May 2007, Oogi announced her retirement from politics in July so that she could lead an ordinary life with her family. Her term of office expired on 28 July 2007.

Political views

Constitution

Oogi has critical views against the

Constitution of Japan The Constitution of Japan ( Shinjitai: , Kyūjitai: , Hepburn: ) is the constitution of Japan and the supreme law in the state. Written primarily by American civilian officials working under the Allied occupation of Japan, the constitutio ...

of 1947. She has said that the constitution has many problems such as ignoring environmental rights, obfuscating the Self-Defense Forces and its international contribution to keep peace, and excessively protecting criminals while making light of crime victims'

human right Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hum ...

s. She also made a controversial remark: "The Constitution of Japan deprived Japanese women of their graces of character."

Transfer of capital functions

A suggestion to transfer some capital functions out of Tokyo came under review in 1990s to solve the problem posed by overconcentration of people in Tokyo. Oogi, who was Minister of Construction in charge of this issue, expressed opposition to the transfer in September 2000. Her opposition created conflicts with Prime Minister Mori and with the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

s of the candidate cities.

Imperial succession

Upon

Prince Hisahito is the youngest child and only son of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Japan. He is the nephew of Emperor Naruhito and second in line to the throne after his father, Fumihito. Birth Hisahito was born at 08:27 JST (23:27 UTC ...

's birth in September 2006, Oogi suggested that the lawmakers take a cautious attitude toward the Government's move to allow female and matrilineal succession of the

Imperial Throne Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, T ...

. She appreciated Princess Akishino for her third deliverance in this day of declining birthrate and said "We women would like to look to her as a model."

Haneda Airport

In 2000, Oogi proposed that

Haneda Airport , officially , and sometimes called as Tokyo Haneda Airport or Haneda International Airport , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary ...

expand international air service.

Narita Airport Narita International Airport ( ja, 成田国際空港, Narita Kokusai Kūkō) , also known as Tokyo-Narita, formerly and originally known as , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Haneda Airport ...

, which almost monopolized international flight service to Tokyo, is so distant from central Tokyo that there has long been a strong call among Tokyoites and

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

ns for international air service of Haneda Airport. Oogi's proposal was welcomed by

Shintaro Ishihara was a Japanese politician and writer who was Governor of Tokyo from 1999 to 2012. Being the former leader of the radical right Japan Restoration Party, he was one of the most prominent ultranationalists in modern Japanese politics. An ultra ...

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of Tokyo.

Personal life

Oogi has two sons, Tomotaro and Hirotaro. Both of them are kabuki actors, following in their father's path. She had long hoped to have daughters or granddaughters possibly to be a Takarazuka actress. Her wish for a granddaughter came true when her younger son begot a daughter in 2002. Oogi's husband is notorious as a womanizer as he admits. Interviewed about his love affair with a

maiko A is an apprentice geisha in Kyoto and Their jobs consist of performing songs, dances, and playing the or other traditional Japanese instruments for visitors during banquets and parties, known as . are usually aged between 17 to 20 years ...

, which was exposed in a tabloid magazine in 2002, Oogi answered "I know that girl. She is intelligent and I favor her, too," adding "A husband not attractive to women would be boring."'' Tokudane'',

Fuji Television JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...

, 7 June 2002

Honours

* Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, 2003. * Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon, 2008. * Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Paulownia Flowers The is an order presented by the Japanese government. Established in 1888 during the Meiji Restoration as the highest award in the Order of the Rising Sun; however, since 2003 it has been an Order in its own right. The only grade of the order i ...

, 2010.

References

* Chikage Oogi, ''Ketsudan no Toki'', Sekaibunkasha, 2007, * Kyoko Shimazaki, ''Kono Kuni de Onna de Aru to Iu Koto'', Kyoiku Shiryo Shuppankai, 2001, * ''

Yomiuri Shimbun The (lit. ''Reading-selling Newspaper'' or ''Selling by Reading Newspaper'') is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are ...

Morning Edition'', 28 July 2007

External links

* *
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
- Introduction by the Cabinet {{DEFAULTSORT:Oogi, Chikage Ministers of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan Ministers of Construction of Japan Ministers of Transport of Japan Members of the House of Councillors (Japan) Women government ministers of Japan Female members of the House of Councillors (Japan) Japanese actresses Japanese actor-politicians People from Kobe 1933 births Living people Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians New Conservative Party (Japan) politicians Japan Renewal Party politicians New Frontier Party (Japan) politicians 20th-century Japanese politicians 20th-century Japanese women politicians 21st-century Japanese politicians 21st-century Japanese women politicians Recipients of the Order of Brilliant Star Presidents of the House of Councillors (Japan)