Eriko Fukuda

Eriko Fukuda (福田衣里子, Fukuda Eriko, born 30 October 1980) is a former Japanese politician who served as a Member of the House of Representatives in the Nagasaki 2nd district from 31 August 2009 to 16 December 2012. Born in Nagasaki, Fukuda originally attended Hiroshima Shudo University to study psychology, but left after a year to travel Europe. After returning to school in 2001, she discovered that she was infected with Hepatitis C, and dropped out of school to seek treatment.[1]

Eriko Fukuda
福田衣里子
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
31 August 2009 – 16 December 2012
Preceded byFumio Kyūma
Succeeded byKanji Katō
Personal details
Born(1980-10-30)30 October 1980
Nagasaki
NationalityJapanese
Political partyDemocratic Party of Japan

Fukuda discovered that she was given a blood-clotting agent while still a baby in 1980, which had infected her with the virus along with many others from the 1970s to the early 1990s.[2] In 2004, she became a party to litigation against the government, and became a face of the lawsuit as one of the few people to announce her real name. In 2007, the Diet enacted a law providing compensation to those that were affected. By then, Fukuda had "become a poster child for the battle against all things wrong with the government and bureaucracy."[3]

A year later, Fukuda was handpicked by Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) party leader Ichirō Ozawa in a party attempt to appeal to voters who were tired of longtime Liberal Democratic Party rule. She won the election against Fumio Kyūma, who had represented Nagasaki in the House of Representatives for 30 years, 50.4% to 44.3%.[4] Shortly before the 2012 elections, Fukuda jumped from the DPJ to the Tomorrow Party of Japan, then to the Green Wind party. After losing her seat in the election, she retired from politics to start a family with her husband, whom she married six months prior.[5]

References
  1. "福田衣里子 衆議院議員". chihoujichi-center.jp. 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2017. (in Japanese)
  2. McCurry, Justin (29 March 2008). "Japan compensates some of its hepatitis C victims". The Lancet. 371 (9618): 1061–1062. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)60469-9. PMID 18380033.
  3. Yamamoto, Daisuke (13 August 2009). "Hepatitis champion in 'bear hunt' for Kyuma". The Japan Times. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  4. McCurry, Justin (25 October 2009). "Female empowerment: How women are changing the face of Japanese politics". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  5. "田中眞紀子に福田衣里子…あの「お騒がせ前議員」はいま". Livedoor. 16 February 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2017. (in Japanese)
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