Japan

Japanese women held a record-high ratio of senior positions in the central government, but at 3 percent, they are still well behind their counterparts in other developed nations, government figures showed Jan. 31.

The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has set a goal of raising the figure to around 5 percent by the end of fiscal 2015, part of the “opportunities for women” pillar of his economic growth strategy.

We invite you to read the full article published February 1, 2014

While China’s air defense zone issues was topmost on everyone’s mind during United States Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Japan this week, he also had other agenda on his plate. Together with U.S. ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy and U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues Cathy Russell, he met with those who are helping advance women’s roles in the corporate world and commended Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his policies to help make that a cornerstone of the Japanese economy.

Japan's Shinzo Abe on Friday named the country's first ever female aide to the prime minister, just weeks after Caroline Kennedy arrived as the first woman US ambassador to Tokyo, AFP reports.

Makiko Yamada, a 53-year-old internal ministry veteran, will advise the conservative prime minister on policies affecting women, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.

Two Japanese women started “All-Japan Obachan Party”, a political party that aims to balance the gender gap and to increase women rights, as well as women’s presence in the government. The party was established six months ago as the result of a Facebook comment and now has more than 2,000 members, while the numbers are still growing.

The return to power of Japan’s conservative and hard-line Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Sunday indicates that voters traded urgently needed social and environmental reforms for traditional male-led leadership, according to analysts here.

Japanese women have less clout in companies and politics than women in other advanced countries, the government said in a report that highlighted the need for steps to help women balance jobs and their personal lives.
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When it comes to female participation in politics, Japan lags far behind other nations.If Japan is going to catch up with the countries that boast a high percentage of female politicians, women must create a nationwide movement, according to panelists at a symposium advocating more women in politics."It's something that has to be fought for and refashioned by each generation," Kari Hirth, an official at the Norwegian Embassy in Tokyo, said at a symposium held Saturday in the capital sponsored by the Tokyo-based Alliance of Feminist Representatives.