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© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019.
Japanese women running for Diet seats in record numbers, but face many obstacles
By Linda Sieg and Ami Miyazaki NIIGATA©2022 GPlusMedia Inc.
22 Comments
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RickyC
Most of the women candidates are from opposition parties that unfortunately doesn't have any chance to win. There is nothing to get excited to feel somethings are changing finally.
Elvis is here
To overcome these obstacles, someone should write a Savvy in Japan article about how to succeed. With lots gifs.
Reckless
Hmmm. Maybe time to quit whining and start doing. As a man with ALL of the household bills to pay I could not imagine running for office.
papigiulio
Why isn't this news? Another 'unsolicited' favor for the double A's, one of the many that go unchecked I assume.
Only this time? Oh you poor guy, you haven't been paying much attention. But better late than never.
Laguna
Well, you've got to start somewhere. As the son of a single mother in then-conservative Orange County, I watched as she built her career, eyes all askance at her, but she succeeded. It won't be easy, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.
Serrano
Japanese women running for Diet seats in record numbers, but face many obstacles
Obatacle #1 The ojisans.
@Laguna You grew up in then-conservative Orange County, eh? Didn't any of that rub off on you?
JJ Jetplane
@Reckless
As you know, men that contribute other than financially in Japan are outliers. Even though she has a husband, he seems to not have any knowledge of those things and is still always away from home with work. Most likely because in his mind, he expects all those things to be taken care of by a woman.
When you don’t have an equal household, it makes it harder for women to do such things and most Japanese households are not equal.
JJ Jetplane
In other words, if the situation doesn’t allow you the ability to climb that high, then those changes can’t be made and they will proceed with the current system until a female lawmaker climbs high enough to force change.
Ganbare Japan!
Really promising news. These days, women are very assured that in Japan, they can do anything. PM Abe has made Japan a place where women can truly shine!
JenniSchiebel
In my country's elections, I vote for who I think is the best candidate. I don't vote for women just because they're women. In fact, I don't consider gender a factor at all.
I hope the women running for office in Japan don't think that they're entitled to votes just because they're women.
vinarius@pm.catv.ne.jp
Japan is truly unfair to woman but these males forgot that they come from their mother's womb.
Richard Burgan
Truly and "Old Boys Network". When women finally reach the tipping point (maybe somewhere near 50%) of political representation they can start to make significant changes. I hope that is sooner rather than later.
browny1
Ganbare said -
"...PM Abe has made Japan a place where women can truly shine!..."
Except the problem is they don't - well nowhere near the 50% of the population that they make up.
And Ganbare - you did read the article which says under Abe's watch the world ranking of Japan's womens reps in parliament has fallen from 122nd to 164th - didn't you.
Seems like the main shining going on is the boots of the almighty men.
blvtzpk
...as long as they are in high heels.
...as long as they are in high heels.
kohakuebisu
Then perhaps she shouldn't be standing for a seat in a province like Niigata where local ties will matter. Her lack of local networks will not be due to the obstacles facing women, but because she hasn't lived and been active in that area. A man from Tokyo would have the same problems. It would be more illustrative for the journalists to talk to local women who've put the yards in and have worked their way up the political ladder through a town council.
I'm supportive of women but don't think I'd want one from elsewhere with no experience of and little understanding of local issues representing my area. Local government in Japan is very complicated. Lots of different money flows and stakeholders and existing to and fro schemes between national and local governments.
With the greatest respect, millions of people around the world work full time and raise kids, some of them on their own. If raising kids the Japanese way leaves non-working mothers with no energy for anything else, it is Japanese women's fault. They are the pilots and air traffic control for all this helicopter parenting.
Norman Goodman
In the TV show Penny Dreadful, set in the 19th century, one woman asked why women are made to wear such restrictive corsets. Her male lover quipped something like that if it were not so, women would be free to dominate and crush men and they would. Seems to me its coming to pass. Women always had their own power and now with nervous energy it seems they are trying to take men's as well.
thepersoniamnow
Women need to stand up and speak, and say what happens to them if they want real change.
She is speaking and stating her experiences and thats fine, I will listen. Why does everyone have to have a definite opinion.
smithinjapan
That's why Japan ranks 122 or whatever out of 144 countries around the world in terms of gender equality. Here's hoping many of the women win and change that a little, and don't just have to serve tea.
mike1492
Keep trying ladies. Dripping water wears away a rock.
Strikebreaker555
This is easy to solve. If you're a woman, you vote for CDP. If you're a man you vote for LDP. That way we can equalize LDPs dominant position in the houses! All women vote for CDP, you have a higher chance of gaining a seat by doing so!
Yubaru
Here you would be known as the "woman" of the house as a "man" doesn't do these things. I wonder, do you make/force your wife to hand over her paycheck as well?
In a perfect world it shouldn't matter who is the head of the household and both would share the responsibilities, but Japan, unfortunately, is still far behind and there are still far too many with some seriously outdated ideas of what a "woman's" place is!