is a Japanese writer and politician. She served four terms in 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, ...

, the upper house of the

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 (, ...

, from 1986 until 2010. Her husband is Heisuke Hironaka, a

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

Politician

Hironaka was first elected to the House of Councillors from the national proportional representation block at the 1986 election as a member of the

Komeito , formerly New Komeito and abbreviated NKP, is a conservative political party in Japan founded by lay members of the Buddhist Japanese new religious movement Soka Gakkai in 1964. Since 2012, it has served in government as the junior coalitio ...

party. She was re-elected to a second term as a national PR member at the 1992 election. Between 1993-1994, she was State Minister, Director-General of the Environment Agency in the Hosokawa Cabinet. Following the breakup of Komeito in 1994, Hironaka was part of the group that formed the New Frontier Party, which itself dissolved in 1997. She contested the Chiba at-large district as an independent at the 1998 election, winning one of the district's two seats. She subsequently joined the

Democratic Party of Japan The was a centristThe Democratic Party of Japan was widely described as centrist: * * * * * * * to centre-left liberal or social-liberal political party in Japan from 1998 to 2016. The party's origins lie in the previous Democratic Part ...

and served as one of the party's vice presidents on several occasions. Hironaka won a second term as a Councillor for Chiba at the 2004 election, this time as an official DPJ candidate. At the July 2010 election, Chiba's representation was expanded to three seats, however the 76 year-old Hironaka was replaced as a DPJ candidate by the younger

Hiroyuki Konishi is a Japanese former gymnast who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pa ...

and Ayumi Michi, who finished first and fourth in the ballot respectively. Hironaka contested the election from the national PR block. She was listed 39th on the DPJ's party ticket in the contest for 48 seats, making it realistically impossible for her to retain a seat. The party received enough votes for 16 seats in the election, ending Hironaka's career in the Diet. During her time in the Diet, Hironaka also served as Director of the Research Committee on International Affairs and Global Warming Issues and a Member of both the Committee on Environment and Official Development Assistance and Related Matters. She has been active internationally, as Vice Chair of Global Environmental Action (GEA), an organizing member of Micro Credit Summit, a member of World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development,

Earth Charter The Earth Charter is an international declaration of fundamental values and principles considered useful by its supporters for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. Created by a global consultation process, ...

Commission, and Teri (The Energy and Resourceｓ Institute) Hironaka received a B.A. in English from Ochanomizu Women's University and an M.A. in

Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

from

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , ...

. She has written several books, essays, translations, and critiques on education, culture, society, and women's issues.

Other activities

;Party Affiliation and Position Standing *Officer, Democratic Party of Japan *Membership, House Committees Chair, Research Committee on Economy, Industry and Employment *Member, Committee on Education, Culture, and Science. *Membership, International Organizations Vice-Chair, Global Environmental Action (GEA) *Vice-Chair, GLOBE Japan (Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment) *Co-Chair, Council of Parliamentarians, Micro Credit Summit *Member, WCFSD (World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development) *Member, Earth Charter Commission *Member, Earth Charter International Council *Chair, Committee for Promoting the Earth Charter in Japan and the Asia Pacific *Member, International Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB), UNESCO *Chair, PGA (Parliamentarians for Global Action) Japan National Committee *Member, Governing Council, TERI The Energy Research Institute, New Delhi, India *Member, UNEP Sasakawa Prize Jury ;Former Roles *Sept. 2005 – Sept. 2006: Vice President, Democratic Party of Japan *June 1996 - Jan. 1997: Chairperson, House Special Committee on Science and Technology *Aug. 1995 - June 1996: Shadow Cabinet Minister of Environment Policy, New Frontier Party Aug. *1993 - Apr. 1994: State Minister, Director General of the Environment Agency *Apr. 1993 - Aug. 1993: President, GLOBE Japan (Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment)

Bibliography

;In Japanese * 1979 * 1981 * 1982 * 1987 * 1989 ;Translations into Japanese *''Shifting Gears'', George & Nina O'Neill, 1975 *''

Japan as Number One ''Japan as Number One: Lessons for America'' is a book by Ezra Vogel published in 1979 by Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, a ...

'',

Ezra Vogel Ezra Feivel Vogel (; July 11, 1930 — December 20, 2020 ) was an American sociologist who wrote prolifically on modern Japan, China, and Korea, and worked both in academia and the public sphere. He was Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Scie ...

with A. Kimoto, 1979 *''Samurai & Silk'',

Haru M. Reischauer was a Japanese-American writer and wife of the U.S. scholar and Ambassador to Japan Edwin O. Reischauer."Seasoned Negotiator: Nobuhiko Ushiba." ''New York Times''. November 14, 1970. Early life and education Haru Matsukata was born in Tokyo. ...

, 1987 ;Translations from Japanese to English * :

Sawako Ariyoshi Sawako Ariyoshi (有吉佐和子 ''Ariyoshi Sawako'', 20 January 1931 – 30 August 1984) was a Japanese writer, known for such works as ''The Doctor's Wife'' and '' The River Ki.'' She was known for her advocacy of social issues, such as the eld ...

, 1978 (with Ann Siller Kostant) *''Ameyuki-san'', Tomoko Yamazaki, 1986

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hironaka, Wakako Government ministers of Japan Members of the House of Councillors (Japan) Women government ministers of Japan Female members of the House of Councillors (Japan) Japanese writers Brandeis University alumni People from Tokyo Living people 1934 births Democratic Party of Japan politicians