is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

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 ...

. Her name in official documents is .

Life and career

Born in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. Her father was a ''

Sankei Shimbun The (short for ) is a daily newspaper in Japan published by the It has the seventh-highest circulation for regional newspapers in Japan. Among Japanese newspapers, the circulation is second only to ''Yomiuri Shimbun'', Seikyo Shimbun, ''Asa ...

'' newspaper reporter. She spent her childhood in

Fukui is a Japanese name meaning "fortunate" or sometimes "one who is from the Fukui prefecture". It may refer to: Places * Fukui Domain, a part of the Japanese han system during the Edo period * Fukui Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan located in ...

city, where her wealthy family ran the

geisha {{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha, 芸者 ({{IPAc-en, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ʃ, ə; {{IPA-ja, ɡeːɕa, lang), also known as {{nihongo, , 芸子, geiko (in Kyoto and Kanazawa) or {{nihongo, , 芸妓, geigi, are a class of female J ...

ryokan A is a type of traditional Japanese inn that typically features ''tatami''-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear yukata and talk with the owner. Ryokan have existed since the eighth century A.D. du ...

Beniya at Awara Onsen. Later her father was defeated in the general election, and, heavily in debt, the Yamatani family left Fukui for Tokyo. She graduated from the University of the Sacred Heart (a Catholic university in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

) with the

Bachelor of Letters Bachelor of Letters (BLitt or LittB; Latin ' or ') is a second undergraduate university degree in which students specialize in an area of study relevant to their own personal, professional, or academic development. This area of study may have been t ...

degree in March 1973. She worked in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

for a publishing company. She became the editor-in-chief of ''Sankei Living Shimbun'' in 1985 and became known as an essayist and television personality. In 1989 Yamatani ran for a seat 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, or ...

as a Democratic Socialist Party candidate, but was defeated. In June 2000, she was elected to the Diet of Japan on the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

ticket as a proportional representative. She left the party in 2002 to join 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 ...

. Though she had planned to run for the seat representing the Tokyo 3rd district in 2003, the emergence of

Hirotaka Ishihara is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Kanagawa Prefecture and graduate of Keio University, he was elected to the House of Representativ ...

, son of Governor

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 ...

, forced her to run from the 4th district, where she was defeated. She then returned to the Diet as a proportional representative of the Liberal Democratic Party in 2004. Yamatani is a vocal opponent of "gender-free education" and of

sex education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduc ...

home economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences, is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and food preparation, as well as texti ...

textbooks and other parts of the school curriculum. Affiliated to the openly revisionist organization

Nippon Kaigi The Right side up ...

, she is also a supporter of Japan's territorial claims and has called for special legislation to restrict land sales to foreigners on

Tsushima Island is an island of the Japanese archipelago situated in-between the Tsushima Strait and Korea Strait, approximately halfway between Kyushu and the Korean Peninsula. The main island of Tsushima, once a single island, was divided into two in 1671 by ...

and to implement measures to boost its local economy without having to depend heavily on South Korean tourists. Koreans own about 0.007 percent of the land on Tsushima. Yamatani has also made anti-LGBT statements, ridiculing the rights of transgender persons from using the bathroom of their chosen gender and lamenting situations where transgender athletes are stealing medals from cisgender athletes.
'' Jiji News'', May 19, 2021

References

External links

* "Eriko Yamatani's Lecture on June 14, 2005 at Mitaka Marketing Plaza

reported b
CGS

International Christian University is a non-denominational private university located in Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan, commonly known as ICU. With the efforts of Prince Takamatsu, General Douglas MacArthur, and BOJ President Hisato Ichimada, ICU was established in 1949 as the first l ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamatani, Eriko 1950 births Living people People from Fukui Prefecture People from Musashino, Tokyo Japanese expatriates in the United States Japanese journalists Japanese essayists Japanese television personalities Female members of the House of Representatives (Japan) Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) Female members of the House of Councillors (Japan) Members of the House of Councillors (Japan) North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens Female critics of feminism Japanese anti-communists Japanese Roman Catholics Democratic Socialist Party (Japan) politicians Democratic Party of Japan politicians Members of Nippon Kaigi New Conservative Party (Japan) politicians Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) politicians University of the Sacred Heart (Japan) alumni 21st-century Japanese politicians 21st-century Japanese women politicians