Broken. That is how to describe the relationship between the youth and politicians in Japan. 

To one high school senior in Osaka Japan, this is a manifestation of a much bigger problem rooted in Japanese society that discriminates against youth and rejects individuality. 

After realizing this at the age of 14, Rena Kawasaki started an organization named Earth Guardians Japan under the umbrella of the youth Earth Guardians Global organization. The goal is to empower students to be changemakers in society, by connecting schools to local political representatives via zoom. Today, Kawasaki’s youth organization is the youngest to be officially working with the Japanese government.  

In recognition of her work, Kawasaki was awarded the 2022 International Children’s Peace Prize. The prize is annually given to a child who fights for children’s rights. 

Kawasaki spoke at the 2022 Nobel Peace Laureates summit in front of an audience of more than one thousand youth and Nobel laureates.

“Being able to address the discrimination of young people in Japanese society at this Summit, whose motto is “Stronger Together”, is an honor and inspires me to continue fighting,” Kawasaki said. 

Fighting for kids rights is not new to her. 

“When I was eight, I was reading this book in my school's library that was published by UNICEF. It was talking about these bags that were donated from Japan to Afghanistan, to kids that couldn't have an education,” Kawasaki said, “I was really inspired to get involved and help the kids in Afghanistan.” 

She gathered a group of friends and they began organizing fundraisers and events to raise money for education supplies for the children of Afghanistan. 

In later years, Kawasaki’s focus shifted to include Sudan. 

Kawasaki continued working on this project until she turned 14. As a struggling teenager, she took a closer look at her own society and realized that youth in Japan were discriminated against and needed help as well.

“I wanted to know if others were going through the same thing that I was dealing with,” Kawasaki said. “I wanted to find a solution for this problem in Japan.”

She interviewed 300 teens, as her first step to find out what held them back from voicing their opinions. It soon became clear that the problem was rooted in Japanese culture, which had created a divide and a total distrust between  young people toward politicians.  

“It’s kind of a cultural thing, but as youth [in Japan], we are taught not to look at and not to listen to politicians, because they often discriminate against us with their decisions,” Kawasaki said. 

This is how Kawasaki’s organization Earth Guardians Japan was born. 

Kawasaki said that the cause of this discrimination is rooted in the Japanese culture where hierarchy plays a significant role in social relationships and interactions. It is reflected in the way people address one another, with use of honorific languages toward seniors, and in the way decisions are made. 

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“A large part of the problem is also the strict hierarchy we have in Japan. The opinions and ideas of those who are older are given more weight and consideration; it is the ‘senpai-kohai’ idea: there is no space for youth” Kawasaki said.  Senpai-kohai refers to the relationship between a senior and a junior member in an organization, where the senior (senpai) is expected to make decisions and guide the kohai (junior). 

“Adults are seen as scary and as people that kids should steer clear of. Because of this cultural idea, we tend to steer clear of any political topic or contemporary topic that has a lot to do with adults,” Kawasaki said. 

The divide between teens and adults and the lack of youth involvement in their communities and societal issues, drove incredibly low young voter turnout in political elections. 

According to Nippon.com, a Japanese political website, 40 percent of the young voters in Japan make it to the polls to cast their votes. 

Over the years, Earth Guardians Japan has impacted political choices, policies, and lawmaking in Japan, to better reflect the needs of young people, starting a dialogue between teens and politicians. As a result of winning the 2022 International Children's Peace Prize, Kawasaki’s work is able to reach the global stage. 

“My hope is that the work we are doing carries over to younger generations and changes the cultural landscape of Japanese politics and society,” Kawasaki said.

“My message for those in middle and elementary school is when you hear something on the news, investigate it, and then try to make connections with those you have heard from. Changes can happen only if we talk to each other and share our point of view” she said. 

Before winning the prize, Kawasaki became the youngest Chief Future Officer (CFO) at Euglena Co. in 2020.  

The company seeks to improve plant based medicines, make better biofuels, improve beauty care products, and more.  “My role as CFO is to expose young people to sustainability issues and bring them together to the annual Euglena Co Summit, to work together to make a change”, Kawasaki said.  

She is also actively advising the Tokyo Bay project, whose goal is to redesign the urban development of the area for the next 50-100 years. 

Today Kawasaki’s organization has expanded its focus and is trying to raise awareness about environmental issues among young people, while also serving as a platform for student entrepreneurs to propose sustainable ideas to large corporations in Japan.

“We want to educate young people about the environment and we want them to become ambassadors of change, while playing an active role in shaping the future of our society,”  Kawasaki said. 

Today Earth Guardians Japan counts thousands of young followers, united by the desire to make a change while engaging in constructive discussions with politicians. Kawasaki’s work is fixing the historical divide between youth and politics, while also indirectly tackling the  senpai-kohai idea, the root of the cultural divide between youth and adults in Japanese society.