Sonoda Tenkōkō(1919–2015) was a female politician who entered politics after founding the “Alliance to Prevent Starvation” in response to the food shortages that followed the end of the war.
She was first elected in the 1946 election, the year after women were granted suffrage, and at first belonged to progressive parties.
In 1949, her relationship with Sonoda Sunao, a married man with children who belonged to a conservative party, came to light and caused a major stir.
The euphemistic phrase “a solemn fact,” which she used for her pregnancy when admitting the affair, became a popular buzzword at the time.
She later married Sunao and became the first sitting member of the National Diet to give birth, but she lost her seat in the next election and was never elected again afterward.
For some time after that, she devoted herself to supporting her husband, but the next time she drew major attention was in 1986.
After her husband, who had long served as an LDP politician, died suddenly two years earlier, his Koenkai split in two: one side backed Tenkōkō, while the other supported Hiroyuki, the son from his previous marriage, in the same electoral district.
This bitter family struggle was won by the son, but afterward she went on to speak out, as a former female lawmaker, on issues such as balancing pregnancy and elected office.
rangda on
The photo has been retouched a little strangely right? Like sketched gestural lines on their faces and especially on the baby’s clothing
2 Comments
Sonoda Tenkōkō(1919–2015) was a female politician who entered politics after founding the “Alliance to Prevent Starvation” in response to the food shortages that followed the end of the war.
She was first elected in the 1946 election, the year after women were granted suffrage, and at first belonged to progressive parties.
In 1949, her relationship with Sonoda Sunao, a married man with children who belonged to a conservative party, came to light and caused a major stir.
The euphemistic phrase “a solemn fact,” which she used for her pregnancy when admitting the affair, became a popular buzzword at the time.
She later married Sunao and became the first sitting member of the National Diet to give birth, but she lost her seat in the next election and was never elected again afterward.
For some time after that, she devoted herself to supporting her husband, but the next time she drew major attention was in 1986.
After her husband, who had long served as an LDP politician, died suddenly two years earlier, his Koenkai split in two: one side backed Tenkōkō, while the other supported Hiroyuki, the son from his previous marriage, in the same electoral district.
This bitter family struggle was won by the son, but afterward she went on to speak out, as a former female lawmaker, on issues such as balancing pregnancy and elected office.
The photo has been retouched a little strangely right? Like sketched gestural lines on their faces and especially on the baby’s clothing