Three women have recently weeks been tapped to powerful political posts in Japan. However, even as the sight of women in leadership positions gets more commonplace in Japan however, gender equality is far from being achieved.
Renho Murata (commonly called Renho) has been named the current chief of the opposition Democratic Party; Koike Yuriko defeated her two male rivals to become the first governor to be female in Tokyo as well, Japan’s Ministry of Defense is, for the first time in its history it is headed by women – Inada Tomomi (Koike Yuriko served as defense minister from July until July 2007).
The selection of women to the top positions could signal a shift in the position and status that women have in Japanese political circles, as well as in society as a whole. In addition, there have been some who wonder whether the rise in popularity means that a female premier might be on the way. However, this isn’t a revolution.
National shame
There’s a growing feeling of shame in Japanese politicians about Japan’s standing in the world ranking of economic and political empowerment.
Women as heads of state have been spotted in a variety of G8 countries as well as the countries that are close to them, like South Korea and Taiwan. Japan, in contrast, has the lowest percentage of women residing in the national legislative assembly in the OECD countries, and just 9.3 percent of Lower House seats are held by women.
The country additionally has the second-largest wage gap between men and women, following South Korea. Women account for less than 2percent of the nation’s mayors as well as just 10% percent of corporate head officers, and just 18% of judges.
In a country that’s well-off in indicators of human development, including longevity and health, these figures provide a disturbing picture of persistent gender inequalities.
The possibility the fact that Koike, Renho and Inada have been elevated to posts of political leadership is a indicator of change. It also represents a significant symbol in the context of Japanese feminists as well as representative democracy. However, do they signify the start of a feminist future in Japan? An examination of their background and motives might provide an idea.
The governor
The first female Tokyo governor, Koike Yuriko, background is the national political scene. Before putting her hat in the ring for the post of Tokyo governor, she was a member of the government party that has been ruling for a long time, known as which is the Liberal Democratic Party. She was a member of the nation’s legislative assembly.
The first governor of Tokyo to be female, Koike Yuriko. Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
She was a major influencer in the development of policies that better utilize women’s labor to improve the economy. Therefore, her dedication in the direction of “women’s empowerment” is unquestionable. She’s keen on encouraging women to be more active in the workforce and actively participate in the modern capitalist economy.
Tokyoites will likely see improvements in working conditions within the municipal government. In particular, they can look forward to an increase in working hours as well as an increase in female employment.
Koike has also stated an interest in the many concerns regarding the daycare of children, which have a negative impact on working families, particularly women. In particular, she has expressed her resolve to address the issue of long wait lists for daycare centers in the city and also to implement steps to avoid accidents in daycare centers.
Tokyo women have high expectations of Koike, but she’s not always a champion of women’s rights just for their benefit. Koike is certainly interested in seeing more women contributing to economic growth and assisting employers in ensuring they can “utilise” women more effectively.
However, there is no consensus regarding reducing poverty among women or providing more assistance to victims of sexual assault. We’ll see in the coming months if Koike’s historic appointment as Tokyo’s first woman to run the government of Tokyo will have any impact in addressing Japan’s deep established gender gap.
The minister of defence
Japan’s new defence minister Inada Tomomi is a close friend of the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. They both Abe as well as Inada are part of Japan’s mighty nationalism-focused lobbying group called the Japan Conference, a active opponent of the validity and validity in “comfort women’s” claims to compensation.
Japan’s new defense minister, Inada Tomomi. Thomas Peter/Reuters
Abe has been the subject of criticism from both inside and outside Japan over his choice to nominate Inada (who has been elected to the House of Representatives in September 2005) to the position of defense minister.
