is a Japanese politician and current member 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, ...

. She and fellow councillor

Yasuhiko Funago is a Japanese politician and current member of the House of Councillors. He and fellow councillor Eiko Kimura became the first people with severe disabilities elected to Japan's National Diet in 2019. He is a member of the Reiwa Shinsengumi. AL ...

became the first people with severe disabilities elected to Japan's

National Diet The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (Japan), House of Councillors (, ...

in 2019. She currently serves on the Land and Transport and Fundamental National Policies committees as well as the Special Committee on Official Development Assistance and Related Matters. She is a member of the

Reiwa Shinsengumi is a left-wing populist and progressive political party in Japan founded by actor-turned-politician Tarō Yamamoto in April 2019. The party was formed by left-wing members of the Liberal Party who opposed its merger with the Democratic Party fo ...

Early life

Kimura was born in

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 To ...

, Japan on May 11, 1965. She became

tetraplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weakness or paralysis leading to partial or ...

after falling from a

baby walker A baby walker is a device that can be used by infants who cannot walk on their own to move from one place to another. Modern baby walkers are also for toddlers. They have a base made of hard plastic sitting on top of wheels and a suspended fabri ...

as a child and injuring her

cervical vertebrae In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in mammals) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae. In ...

. She also has

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...

and is unable to move anything below her neck other than her right hand. She grew up in a

care home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...

and attended the Hiratsuka School for Children with Disabilities, graduating in 1984. She decided to live independently when she was 19, and moved to

Kunitachi 250px, Daigaku-dori and sakura is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 76,423 in 38,825 households, and a population density of 9,400 persons per km2. Approximately 41.9% of ...

, Tokyo. She knew very little about life outside of the care home, where she mostly interacted with other people with disabilities. This separation from non-disabled people inspired her work and, later, her run for office. 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.

Career

Kimura began advocating for

disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all people with disabilities. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocat ...

in her 30s, and founded Jiritsu Station Tsubasa, an organization that helps people with disabilities live independently. She has also written two books, one about Jiritsu Station Tsubasa and the other about the

Sagamihara stabbings The Sagamihara stabbings were committed on 26 July 2016 in Midori Ward, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan. Nineteen people were killed and twenty-six others were injured, thirteen severely, at a care home for disabled people. The crimes were committe ...

. She ran for the House of Councillors in 2019 as a member of the

and was elected to office alongside

, another politician of her party with severe disabilities. 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 people with disabilities to be reformed so that they can be accompanied by caregivers outside of their homes. Kimura also advocates better integrating people with disabilities into Japanese society after her experiences at the care home she grew up in and Hiratsuka School.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kimura, Eiko 1965 births Living people Disability rights activists Female members of the House of Councillors (Japan) Members of the House of Councillors (Japan) Japanese politicians with disabilities People with cerebral palsy People with tetraplegia Politicians from Yokohama 21st-century Japanese politicians 21st-century Japanese women politicians 21st-century Japanese women writers