2 women in LDP party leadership race get mixed reactions

Although she does have two X chromosomes, Sanae Takaichi has views, as quoted below from this article, that are probably more sexist and out of touch than the views held by most of the Japanese public.

Takaichi, 60, rose to third in the leadership race largely because she got crucial backing from Abe, whose arch-conservative vision she supports. She has been criticized for advocating traditional gender roles and policies favored by male decision-makers, rather than fighting for equality for other women. 

She supports the imperial family’s male-only succession, and opposes same-sex marriage and a revision to the 19th-century civil law that could allow women to keep their maiden name.

Time will save us, dinosaurs will die.

2 women in LDP party leadership race get mixed reactions

That this gets to be news in 2021 just goes to show how far behind Japan is.

The inclusion of two women in Japan's leadership race — the first time in 13 years there hasn't only been men — surprised many, prompting some hope of progress for a ruling party long seen as sexist and out of touch.

It is sexist and out of touch. And one of the women running was too.

For some women, it also underscores that the Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled the nation almost without interruption since World War II,

That's longer than most dictatorships

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By the time the LDP held the vote, the winner was already decided. It's the show before the even bigger public show. So, yeah, both Kono and the two women were just

shiny objects to make everything look like a democracy.

"...vaccinations minister Taro Kono..."

And, somehow, Mr Suga got the blame for failure in this area and Kono got to run for his job...(?)

There were TWO women because Ms Takaichi scared them so much they had to inject another woman at the last moment to try to split her potential support.

What a puppet show this has been...

You could just as easily start the sentence with...

"She has been applauded for..."

She has support, especially from Japanese women.

Nope.

How do you feel about her being described as ‘hawkish’, too negative? How about ‘elegant swan’?

She supports the imperial family’s male-only succession, and opposes same-sex marriage and a revision to the 19th-century civil law that could allow women to keep their maiden name.

In the first place, only a minority of Japanese women want to change that.

William Bjornson 08:07 am JST

"...vaccinations minister Taro Kono..."

And, somehow, Mr Suga got the blame for failure in this area and Kono got to run for his job...(?)

Kono didn’t become the vaccinations minister until mid-January, which was after the bungled initial negotiations for vaccine supply and the government’s decision to conduct domestic trials. In fact, Kono has been very critical of the push to conduct what he felt were needless domestic trials.

According to Kono, Pfizer actually included about 100 Japanese (living outside Japan) in its international clinical trial, but Japan’s Health Ministry refused to accept that data, claiming that the food and diet of those Japanese differed from that traditionally consumed inside Japan.

The old boys at the LDP would have never let a woman win.

This is not Sweden.Germany or Iceland.

That women in politics are seen as more progressive than males, defies the reality found within the LDP. One cannot enter the kingdom, unless embracing the atavistic tenets espoused by the LDP. Takaichi, is as rabid as any of the more totalitarian males within her party.

Japan is not the only country that is getting cot in the frenzy of quota system for all sorts of reasons. Set percentage of women, or certain minority or certain race and so on and on. That is really counterproductive.

If we want to have quality of service and performance than the ability and honest willingness to deliver should be the merit on which we vote and allocate the government or any other public or business posts. Instead of making the gender, race or minority an issue we should make sure that this are no issue. We should not bypass a woman for being woman and we should not favor a woman for being woman. we should judge only by what one has to offer.

CDPJ's approval rating is only in the single digits.

This is proof that Japanese women are not interested in either same-sex marriage or surname separation.

It will take many many decades for women to ""progress"" in J-politics given how politics ""work"" here & I use the term very loosely.

In the 30+yrs I have been here there has been NO CHANGE whatsoever with how the ldp keeps running Japan into the ground & is still not so slowly killing the country with its head in the mud the entire time.

It will take likely something real bad like a world war or massive Tokyo earthquake to affect any slight change in politics on these isles sadly

For the ruling LDP, the gender divide is especially stark: only 9.8% of its 380-plus parliamentarians are women, compared to other parties whose female representation ranges from 15-32%.

The ratio doesn't necessarily address the real gender-equality background as the LDP hold a big majority in the Diet. Let's say, a tiny party of only two lawmakers one of whom is a woman means 50 % representation. Please seek the real number of female lawmakers.

I can't believe in 2021 Japan is still talking about "mixed reactions" when it comes to women in politics.

How about strongly rebuking those who express mixed reactions in the first place?

But their sound defeat? That was no surprise.

It’s amazing how blatantly transparent Japan is with all these false hope moves they are trying to make to appear they are changing.

When in reality it’s all just a front to cover up making the same decisions over and over, no matter how much of a failure they have been.

I recall a few years back, the board of education in my area tried to make it “look” like women were equal in the schools.

They suddenly replaced a lot of vice principal positions with female teachers, yet all the principals and “decision makers” were still men.

They literally grabbed any available woman teacher they could find.

I saw two part time women teachers, suddenly become vice principals within a matter of months………right……

I personally support some proactive interventions or even quotas for women/minorities at political career entry levels while I believe the top leadership positions should be sought and filled by merit through fair open competitions. The latest presidential race involving two female members out of the four candidates while its overall ratio is under 10% for the LDP appeared to me rather unnatural.

In fact, the LDP tends to "use" some women members as a showcase or trophy by putting them to highly visible positions. Among those pick-ups most ended up failures due to lack of experience and training, producing some negative stereotypes against women as being "unqualified". A vicious circle here.

You could just as easily start the sentence with...

"She has been applauded for..."

She has support, especially from Japanese women.

I don't doubt that there are some women out there who support Takaichi, but opinion polls indicate very few people overall - male or female - support her.

I believe in quotas it should be 50:50 men and women simply because the job is trivial and doesn't require any skills

Still, “it was good they ran. … Their presence changed the scenery,” she said. “It is extremely difficult for us women to survive for many years in a male-dominated workplace, and I believe their presence gave hope to many.”

Changed the scenery? Yes, but that's about all they did.

As for giving hope to many I suggest the opposite, any woman with any desires for political power has lost all hope of achieving it.

Japan is doomed politically , nobody take their leadership seriously,they will be picking another leader within months,wonder why they get roll over by their neighbors

What I don't understand is what on earth Noda is doing in this right wing party. Can anyone imagine someone with her views would be a republican?

The problem is not to reform the right wing LDP, let it be Japan's republican party. People like Noda and, yes, Kono should be witjh the oppostion building the equivalent of the democrats.

Then let the Japanese have a real choice.

There's nothing "liberal" or "democratic" about the LDP. It's an outdated, antiquated party run by a bunch of conservative old men whose thinking is firmly stuck back in the 1950s. With such people at the helm, Japan has no hope of social progression or change. The two women in the race was merely for show; everyone knew that they had a snowball's chance in hell of winning.

Face it, Japan lives in a time capsule and they're happy with being behind in almost everything because they're delusional enough to believe that the system they got going works.

Sometimes women are their own worst enemy - case in point - Takaichi. Evil, repulsive woman with disgusting ideologies bordering on Nazism.

Do you need a list of male politicians who have been dangerous?

I do have a list of dangerous male politicians. But, there are less women in politics than men, and on average women politicians perform more badly as my list shows.

Normally I'd say jobs should be given based on merit, but it's not like the ones currently in power got their position by merit anyway so let's just randomly pick people and make it 50/50 men and women. Having a national lottery to fill up power positions would have a better chance of success then what we currently have.

Equality of opportunity not equality of outcome. These ladies were given a chance, gender equality was achieved but on the day the best man won.

She deceived them cleverly for long time."

Now the extremists are trying to claim Germany's elections are massive fraud too. Or did you not realize she was re-elected in democratic elections three times?

But coming back to Takaichi, I think she is unskilled and divisive. Moreover, the debate showed she is uneducated (nuclear fusion reactors:) and authoritarian (hard lockdowns). Nationalists deserve a brighter candidate.

and Berelikian 

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Ok, she sucks. Can't really deny that one.

…and she just resigned due to a corruption/conflict of interest investigation.

it's called "token nomination"

All governments around the world congratulated the upcoming change. All governments! So if there are governments you dislike, that is too bad. That is not offensive kid.

Japan ranked 120th in a 156-nation gender gap ranking survey of the World Economic Forum in 2021.

Nothing else needs saying.

If the Japanese people genuinely want this country to change, they have to get rid of this horrendous group of stuck in the dark ages, self-entitled, old men.

Women ?

Omg !

Isn't that where babies come from.

Omg and now thier in politics also.

Quickly sound the alarm !

This is terrible because women might actually make rational decisions that protect life , culture, healthcare and equality.

And in Japan they have only been allowed to enter society since 1920.

Its Its about time women are treated with the respect they deserve and especially if they raise children and are politically motivated.

Noda's husband is a former yakuza with multiple arrest records.

Unfortunately, such a person would not be supported by the people.

In a political election you should cast your vote according to the politics of the candidate, not according to their gender or any other attribute.

If a woman does rise to the top in politics, which is more likely - that she will change politics for the better, or that she will become corrupted by her new found power? You need to fix society outside politics. The political system isn't fixable.

Society changes slowly. Generationally. The most we can do is take part in a very long campaign, and nudge things along, so that they improve. Change has happened and will continue to happen, even in Japan. Don't measure it by token gestures and appointments - the first woman elected or appointed to an office. That is not indicative of broader social change. Measure it by the lives ordinary women (or ethnic minorities or other victimised groups) lead. They have changed since the 1930s, 1960s and even the 1990s. They will continue to change. Miracles only happen in faery tales. Real change takes longer. A bit less longer if we all do our bit.

Fumio Kishida, a former moderate foreign minister, has shifted to the right

Huh?

Where was he before he announced his “new type of capitalism” that involves more government tax and spend?

That is called “right”?

These Japanese clown politicians are all big government Keynesians

She supports the imperial family’s male-only succession, and opposes same-sex marriage and a revision to the 19th-century civil law that could allow women to keep their maiden name.

You don't understand at all.

The issue in the imperial family is about the female line of succession, not whether the emperor is female or male. The female emperors that have existed in the past are also of the male lineage. The female emperor itself has nothing to do with the issue being discussed.