is a Japanese writer and politician. She is a member of the House of Councillors

House of Councillors

The is the upper house of the 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 designation of the prime minister, the House of Representatives...

 (Upper House of the Japanese Diet). Her political affiliation is with the Democratic Party of Japan

Democratic Party of Japan

The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...

. Her husband is Heisuke Hironaka

Heisuke Hironaka

is a Japanese mathematician. After completing his undergraduate studies at Kyoto University, he received his Ph.D. from Harvard while under the direction of Oscar Zariski. He won the Fields Medal in 1970....

, a mathematician

Mathematician

A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....

.

Politician

Wakako Hironaka has been a member of the House of Councillors since 1986, and currently serving her fourth term. Between 1993-1994, she was State Minister, Director-General of the Environment Agency in the Hosokawa Cabinet. In the past years, she served several times as Vice President of the Democratic Party of Japan.

Councillor Hironaka is currently 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

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...

 Commission, and Teri (The Energy and Resourceｓ Institute)

Ms. Hironaka received a B.A. in English from Ochanomizu Women's University

Ochanomizu University

is one of only two national women's universities in Japan. The other one is the Nara Women's University.-History:Ochanomizu University was founded in 1875 as a teacher training institute for women located in Tokyo's Ochanomizu neighborhood. On September 1, 1923, the campus was destroyed in the...

 and an M.A. in Anthropology

Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...

 from Brandeis University

Brandeis University

Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...

. 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)

External links

• Politician's website