"Even Celebrities Can Do It" The 1995-Born 'Political Idol' Who Shook the Japanese Entertainment Industry [Nihonjin Side]

'Political Idol' Ayaka Machida Declares
Low Political Interest in Japan... "Celebrities Should Be Able to Talk About Politics"

Although Japan has been largely overshadowed by the growth of K-pop, it is still considered the original country that created idol culture with groups like AKB48. Now, from this birthplace of idols, a new phenomenon has emerged: the 'political idol.'

Photo by Ayaka Machida Instagram

Just as idols bring joy and hope to people through singing and dancing, this person aspires to be active like an idol by talking about politics. With the Japanese general election underway, she has been appearing more frequently in the media lately. Given Japan's notoriously low political participation among citizens, there is keen interest in how a political idol will be received. This week, we share the story of Japan’s political idol, Ayaka Machida.

Ms. Machida was born in 1995 and hails from Chiba Prefecture. Even as a high school student, she actively participated in student groups aiming to lower the voting age and was a founding member of the Girls’ High School Future Conference. She is a gifted individual who graduated from Keio University’s Faculty of Law.

Machida reportedly started running for elections as early as middle school. In her first year, she ran for student council with a campaign promise to publish the school bus timetable. When she entered high school, she became more actively involved. She enrolled in a formerly all-boys school that had recently become coeducational, but many outdated rules remained. She was elected as the first female president in the school’s history. Since she has always enjoyed identifying and solving problems, her interest naturally grew in this area.

She decided to become a 'political idol' when she became an adult. At age 20, she auditioned for 'Miss iD,' an idol audition hosted by the publisher Kodansha. The audition aims to discover role models for diverse girls in the new era. Its motto is, “If you can make someone’s tomorrow healthier, you are already someone’s idol.” Machida highlighted 'politics' as her specialty during the audition.

Ms. Ayaka Machida, the 'political idol,' giving a speech. (Photo by Ayaka Machida, Instagram)

She participated hoping that she and her peers would develop an interest in politics and social issues, making it easier to talk about politics in everyday life. She went on to win the judges’ individual award. This experience led her to believe that combining 'politics' and 'entertainment' could attract many people’s interest, and she began her activities under the title of 'political idol.' She emphasized, “I like the strangeness and fun of attaching 'idol' to politics.”

She also speaks out against power harassment during job interviews. For example, during an interview at an advertising company, she was asked, “What do you think about the death of Matsuri Takahashi?” Takahashi was a female worker at a famous Japanese advertising firm who committed suicide due to long working hours and hierarchical bullying. Such a question would naturally be unsettling for job seekers in advertising.

Although she does not dance or sing for this purpose, she actively shares her thoughts on various stages and seminars as a 'political idol.' Recently, ahead of the Japanese general election, she has been giving numerous media interviews. She openly evaluates candidates. In a recent interview with the Mainichi Shimbun, she commented on the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election finalists, former LDP Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba and Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, saying, “Both candidates were difficult to support.”

Ms. Ayaka Machida speaking at the press conference. (Photo by Ayaka Machida Instagram)

When asked why, she explained, “Ishiba is sometimes called a leftist within the party in the internet world, but he is originally a conservative politician who emphasizes national defense.” She added, “On the other hand, Takaichi holds masculine views and was not proactive about selective couple surname systems (where one spouse takes the other’s surname after marriage) or accepting foreign talent.”

From a South Korean perspective, one might think, “Why is this such a big deal?” but Japan has relatively lower political participation compared to South Korea. At the end of the interview, she urged, “Voters must participate in the House of Representatives election so politicians don’t think changing the prime minister alone is enough.”

She also said that the Japanese entertainment industry’s tendency to avoid political statements influenced her becoming a 'political idol.' She said, “Japanese entertainers do not clearly state their political stance. Around 2016, during the U.S. presidential election, I heard that national artists like Taylor Swift openly supported certain parties and performed, and I thought, ‘This is it.’” She believes that starting as an idol who speaks boldly about politics will make everyone less afraid to talk about politics.