Japan

A female Japanese politician has received about 8,000 emails containing death threats after proposing free sanitary pads in public toilets – a wave of online abuse that experts say reflects a deeper pattern of gender-based harassment aiming to silence outspoken women.

Gender equality in politics is still elusive in Japan, which marks the 80th anniversary of women's suffrage this year.

Female lawmakers hold only 15.7% of all seats in the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament.

Gender-related unconscious bias continues to hinder women's participation in politics, and Japan has a long way to go before fully achieving gender equality in the field.

A record number of women have been elected to Japan's house of representatives, projections showed on Monday (October 28, 2024), but at less than 16% they remain a minority.

The city of Shiroi, located in the northwestern part of Chiba Prefecture and known for its sprawling commuter towns, is home to one of the few female-majority local assemblies in Japan. Of the 18 assembly members, 10 are women. During the general questions session held last month, four of the five speakers on the first day were women. One was Atsuko Odagawa, 57, who broadly addressed the issue of making information more accessible to people with disabilities, focusing on "creating a community where anyone can understand and live comfortably."

ODAWARA, Kanagawa

A record number of women are running in Japan’s general election this month, although they still account for less than a quarter of candidates, local media said Wednesday.

New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is seeking to shore up his mandate in the October 27 vote by retaining a majority for the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday named two women ministers to his Cabinet, down from five in the outgoing administration.

Women are poorly represented in politics and business in Japan, and the world's fourth-largest economy has never had a woman prime minister.

Japan ranked 118 among 146 nations in the 2024 World Economic Forum's gender equity rankings, up from 125th but still the lowest among Group of Seven nations.

When Japan’s ruling political party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), votes on Friday for its next leader, it will effectively be choosing the country’s next Prime Minister.