New | Seiko Noda fights for the other half of Japan's 126 million people
Seen as a future candidate for first female prime minister, lawmaker Seiko Noda is battling to empower Japanese women - and fix the ailing economy
Anyone wondering why Japan is skirting yet another recession should spend an hour with lawmaker Seiko Noda.
In a nation that chronically underappreciates the talents of women (Japan trails Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh in terms of the number of females in politics), Noda is a trailblazer.
In 1989, at 37, she became Japan's youngest post-war cabinet member. Her skill in navigating around the jeers and contempt of male colleagues caught the attention of then-Japanese leader Keizo Obuchi, who famously dubbed Noda "the future candidate for female prime minister".
Noda took that notion out for a test-ride earlier this month, quietly seeking support to challenge Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in party elections. (She withdrew the challenge on September 8 due to lack of support.)
Her rallying cry: Abe's government has ignored economic reforms and demographic challenges to the detriment of Japan's global status.
Abe came to power in December 2012 with a mandate to put Japan back on top. China's gross domestic product had just surpassed Japan's, as President Xi Jinping rolled out an ambitious charm offensive in Asia.