Arfiya Eri, Japanese politician of Uyghur origin, included in TIME100 Next list of young, global influencers

TIME launched the ‘TIME100 Next’ list in 2019 to draw attention to those among the new generation who have achieved peak influence in their fields.

Arfiya Eri, a young politician of Uyghur origin, represents Japan. The member of parliament, who took office in April, stands out from her peers. In Japan, men dominate parliamentary politics, with an average age of 56. However, Eri, 34, is of Uighur-Uzbek heritage and can speak English, Japanese, Chinese, Uzbek, Turkish, Uyghur, and Arabic. Eri has become a model of diversity in Japan.

She ran within the ruling conservative Liberal Democratic Party with the support of Japan’s digital minister, Taro Kono. 

Image: Arfiya Eri’s X-account