Chieko Akaishi
Chieko Akaishi | |
|---|---|
 Akaishi | |
| Born | 1955 (age 70–71) |
| Occupations |
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| Known for | Director of Single Mothers Forum |
Chieko Akaishi (Japanese: 赤石千衣子, Akaishi Chieko; born 1955) is a Japanese activist who served as the founding chairperson of the nonprofit Single Mothers' Forum until June 28, 2025, when she officially announced her retirement.[1]
Biography
She is a single mother herself.[2]
She established the Single Mothers' Forum in 1980, which at that point was just a voluntary organization of single mothers trying to fight for improving the child-rearing allowance system. In 2002, the organization became an NPO and started to focus more broadly on single mothers' issues, and it became a certified NPO in 2018.[3] She was its founding chairperson and has used that role to fight for support for single mothers.[4][5][6]
She has been an advocate for reform of the welfare systems. For example, she's advocated for removing the rule that people receiving welfare must, with very few exceptions, use up their assets (such as cars) before being able to receive welfare.[7] She has also been a noted feminist advocate, and as early as 2006 began getting quoted on feminist issues.[8]
She has been noted as one of the most prominent and politically powerful opponents of joint custody in Japan. She has stated her opposition is due to domestic violence issues and the fear that the abused partner may be forced into providing joint custody.[9][10][11]
She sat on the Expert Committee on Support for Single-Parent Families on the Social Security Council, and was a member of The Asahi Shimbun editorial board.[2] She called for and assisted in the creation of the Single Mother Support committee, a Japan-wide committee of single parent support groups.[12]
She has authored two books, Boshi katei ni kanpai! (Here's to Single Parent Families) and Hitori-oya Katei (Single-Parent Households).[13]
During her tenure as chair, in 2023, the organization faced fund misuse issues, with some 8 million yen going missing. According to statements, an employee who was in charge of financial records was the one to falsify these records.[14]
She resigned as chair at the age of 70 on June 28, 2025.[1]
References
- 1 2 Chieko Akaichi. "赤石千衣子理事長が退任しました". Single Mothers' Forum (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- 1 2 "赤石千衣子". SYNODOS (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ "MinebeaMitsumi Donates to Single-Parent Support Organization - MinebeaMitsumi". www.minebeamitsumi.com. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ Choudhury, Zibran (2024-12-19). "The power of inclusion: Business, philanthropy, and the evolving landscape of DEI in Asia". Alliance magazine. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ "In Japan, these single moms and shrinking cities are trying a new start – together". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ "The Coronavirus Relief Allowance for Children is too Small". www.asiaglobalonline.hku.hk. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ "Poor parents forced to choose either cars or welfare benefits". Asahi. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
- ↑ Traister, Rebecca (2006-01-23). "Should a princess ascend to the Japanese throne?". Salon.com. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ "Joint Custody eyed as option by Justice Ministry after divorce". Asahi. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
- ↑ "FAMILIES PULLED APART DUE TO FAILURE OF LEGAL SYSTEM | Yoshiko Sakurai -official web site-". Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ "Japan tries to fix a child custody system under fire from all sides". The Straits Times. 2023-01-25. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ "Nationwide committee to support Japan's single moms to launch July 7". Mainichi Daily News. 2019-07-06. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ "Akaishi Chieko". nippon.com. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ↑ "Japan's media is failing in its public watchdog duty- UCA News". ucanews.com. Retrieved 2026-05-07.