The Lower House moved to address the low representation of women in politics with a bill April 12 urging political parties to field male and female candidates in national and local assembly elections in equal numbers.
GIFU – Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Seiko Noda, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, on Sunday opened a political school in Gifu Prefecture to foster female politicians.
As a society bound by tradition, ch
Renho Murata became the first woman
| Quota Information | Parliament Information | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Are there legislated quotas? | No | Structure of parliament | Unicameral |
| For the Single/Lower House? | No | >Current members | 464 |
| Percentage of women | 9.91% | ||
| Source: Gender Quotas Database | Source: New Parline | ||
Abstract: The election of Sanae Takaichi as Japan’s first female prime minister in October 2025, coupled with the Liberal Democratic Party’s historic supermajority in the February 2026 lower house election, invites examination of what women’s political leadership actually mea
Gender equality and women empowerment remain a globally important priority policy issues.
Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won the general election on 8 February 2026 in the biggest win for any Japanese party since the LDP’s formation in 1955. It captured 316 seats in the Diet’s lower house, well above the 233 seats needed for a simple majority.
The Liberal Democratic Party’s lopsided victory was not the only record set in the Feb. 8 Lower House election.
A total of 313 women ran as candidates, accounting for 24.4 percent of the 1,284 contenders and surpassing the previous high of 23.4 percent.
Three months into her tenure as Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi is connecting with younger voters in a way her predecessors failed.
Nearly 60 female lawmakers in Japan, including the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, have submitted a petition calling for more toilet
In Japan, women have long been severely underrepresented at the highest levels of business, government and society, the product of a culture that expects them to bear a disproportionate share of child care and housework.
Sanae Takaichi just broke Japan’s highest glass ceiling.
Respected figure: Baroness Margaret Thatcher. Personal goal: To become Japan's Iron Lady.
Japan could soon see its first female prime minister, with Sanae Takaichi emerging among the front runners in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership race, a significant achievement in a country where women leaders remain a rarity.
A record number of 42 female candidates were elected in Sunday’s Upper House election, marking a step forward for gender representation in Japan’s political landscape.
Tokyo, July 4 (Jiji Press)--Women account for less than 30 pct of candidates competing in the July 20 election for Japan's House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament.
Over 50% of female local assembly members in Japan have been troubled with harassment, more than double the proportion of such male members, according to a Cabinet Office report.
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 deepe
Gender equality in politics is still elusive in Japan, which marks the 80th anniversary of women's suffrage this year.
A record number of women have been elected to Japan's house of represent
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.
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 on Tuesday named two women ministers to his Cabinet, down from five in the outgoing administration.
When Japan’s ruling political party, the Li
The first woman governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, has won a third term – against another woman candidate. The race between multiple women signifies a push for greater female representation in Japanese politics, which is still overwhelmingly dominated by men.
TOKYO -- Women account for a mere 18.1% of prospective candidates to be fielded by Japan's six major political parties in the 289 single-seat constituencies in the next House of Representatives election, a Mainichi Shimbun survey has found.
TOKYO -- A study group headed by Mari Miura, a professor at Sophia University's Faculty of Law in Tokyo, with an objective to achieve gender equality in Japan from local levels, has compiled a Japanese gender gap index by prefecture.
The Japanese Communist Party (JCP) chose Tomoko Tamura as its first-ever female leader Thursday, apparently in the hope of broadening its support base and attracting a wider array of voters.
Despite lacking ties to this city and being described as a poor public speaker, a former social worker won an election here to become the youngest female mayor in Japan.
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Japan has fallen in the global gender gap rankings, coming in nine positions lower than last year at 125th out of 146 countries, according to a World Economic Forum report
TSU, MIE PREF.
A group of researchers and female politicians said Monday that they will start a campaign to help mothers with young children run in next April’s nationwide gubernatorial and municipal assembly elections.
Sunday’s Upper House election saw a record 35 seats go to women, with veteran lawmakers and new contenders of all stripes voted in.
Local politicians across Japan feel that more needs to be done to help women enter and remain in politics, from combatting sexual harassment to beefing up maternity leave policies, according to a new survey.
TOKYO - A record number of both women and LGBTQ candidates are campaigning to win over voters in the House of Councillors election on Sunday and potentially bring change to Japan's male-dominated political landscape.
TOKYO -- A record 181 of the 545 people standing in Japan's July 10 House of Councillors election are women, comprising 33.2% of all candidates, also a high.
Japan's Lower House of the Diet plans a questionnaire on women's participation in politics as the country largely lags behind in female representation in national parliaments.
In Sunday's general election, 45 women were elected to the 465-seat House of Representatives, down two from the previous contest in 2017, despite a law promoting female participation in the political field, data showed Monday.
Harassment is common for women who run for office and female MPs comprise just 9.9% of lower house.
TOKYO – Just 186 of the 1,051 candidates standing in Japan's House of Representatives election this month, or 17.7%, are women -- on par with the low level seen in the previous lower house race in 2017.
Two women are in contention to become prime minister of Japan for the first time in its history — a potential turning point for a country that ranks below Saudi Arabia in terms of female political representation.
Two women have entered the race for the leadership of Japan’s ruling party for the first time in its 66-year history, putting in the spotlight both the strides taken and the hurdles that still face female politicians in a country that lags far behind
TOKYO – Japanese political parties are competing with each other to promote female candidates ahead of a lower house election that must be held by this fall, but some worry that, like similar efforts before, the initiative may be more sloganeering th
The Liberal Democratic Party’s lopsided victory was not the only record set in the Feb. 8 Lower House election.
A total of 313 women ran as candidates, accounting for 24.4 percent of the 1,284 contenders and surpassing the previous high of 23.4 percent.
Three months into her tenure as Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi is connecting with younger voters in a way her predecessors failed.
In Japan, women have long been severely underrepresented at the highest levels of business, government and society, the product of a culture that expects them to bear a disproportionate share of child care and housework.