Tips for understanding Japanese Women

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Women and Politics

• Basic Facts¹

- Year women granted voting rights: 1945
- Women in the state legislature: 8%²
(House of Representatives: 5%, House of Councilors: 14%)
- Women in the current cabinet: None
- Year first woman was appointed to the cabinet: 1960
- Women governor: None (out of 47 governors)

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• Women-related laws

- Equal Employment Opportunity Law (1986)
- The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women
(ratified in 1985)
- Eugenic Protection Law (1948)
(permitting abortion with conditions)

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• Political Participation by Women

After the 60 years of campaigning for suffrage, women were granted the voting right under the post-war constitution in 1945. However, the proportion of women in the offices is relatively low compared to the other countries. Women consist of only 8% of the state legislature, 23 of 500 seats in the House of Representatives (lower house), and 35 of the 252 seats in the House of Councilors. (upper house) The highest position in the government headed by a woman is the Speaker of the House of Representatives by Takako Doi. (1993)
There has never been a woman headed any of 47 prefectures. In local government, women made up about 6% of city and 2% of town and village assemblies during the mid-1990s. By 1994, there are only two women mayors headed cities

• Government Initiative for Gender-Equal Society

The Japanese government has been trying to promote the "Gender-Equal Society" although the outcome of the initiative is still far from satisfactory. The Office for Gender Equality under the Prime Minister's Office is in charge of gender-related issues in the government. Customary, the Chief Cabinet Secretary hold concurrently the Minister for Women's Affairs, and this position is always but once held by a male politician.

• Abortion

The Eugenic Protection Law of 1948 permits abortion with certain conditions when the pregnancy is the case;
- a parent has a hereditary disease
- it endangers the woman's health or economic status
- resulted from rape
- the fetus has severe abnormalities and would not survive outside the womb
Although the Law requires one of those conditions to have abortion, it is liberally interpreted and abortion is practically available on request. Almost a half of total abortions is performed on married women in their 30's, and it is legally necessary for married women to get their husbands' consensus to have abortions. Teenage abortion consists of 8% of annual 30,000-40,000 abortions. Almost all of the abortions in Japan are performed at the obstetrician clinics.

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• Comfort Women; the militaly-led sexual slavery by Japan during W.W.II
• Current Issues in Women and Politics
  - authorization of the contraceptive pills
  - revision of the Civil code
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¹ Data from Neft, Naomi & Levine, Ann D. (1997). Where Women Stand: An international Report on the Status of Women in 140 Countries 1997-1998. New York, NY: Random House.
² As of 1997, after the most recent election of 1996.

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Last modified: 2/17/98 by M.Seko