Women take on Japan's political gender gap for 'true democracy'

The participants, chosen from 200 applicants, also receive a grant of one million yen.

The requirement to run for office in Japan is need to older than 30 years old and can pay three million yen.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/04/97f7f7010634-japan-pm-attack-suspect-may-have-had-grudge-about-electoral-system.html

However there are unwritten rule, need to be well connected and preferable from family that already involved in politics.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/10/27/national/politics-diplomacy/political-dynasties-japan-election/

"We had assumed that women didn't want to be politicians, but in fact, there just wasn't enough support," she said.

Well, well, ... who would have thought it? So, just goes to show there is more to it than that Japanese women are not interested in anything but staying home doing housework. But maybe we will still go on to read that today.

"Even well-educated people have the entrenched view of politics as a male domain," said the former internal affairs minister and women's empowerment minister.

More than that is Japanese politics is a closed clique and Murakami just won’t be allowed in

She is one of a small group of young women being offered mentoring and money by the Murakami Family Foundation to help break into a political scene that remains utterly dominated by men.

Perhaps it might be better to target women in the 40-65 age group for mentoring. Voters likely select candidates who have similar values. In Japan, the median age is nearly 50. The median voter age is likely around 60.

If you believe that democracy exist you must be living in cuckoo land. It’s all an illusion. If the power of “believing it” works for you, rather like a placebo, then good luck with that.

Women are a rare sight in Japanese politics, but 20-year-old Rinka Saito is determined to run for office one day because "you can't have true democracy without diversity".

Truth be told, young Japanese men have not done a good job of breaking the grip of gerontocratic oligarchs and creating democratic institutions in Japan.

Can Japanese women with all the additional hurdles do it?

Once elected, female leaders in Japan face a tough environment, describing sexual harassment, chauvinist habits and ingrained views of government as a man's world.

This paragraph describes Japanese culture as a whole quite well. Good luck to the girls attempting to break a centuries old part of Japanese culture. It was only a little over a century ago that women were allowed to attend school in Japan.

What’s all this talk about “democracy?” The national government is a parliamentary system.

I hope she follows up and gets elected. Local government elections are way to get started. She’ll have to learn that compromise is always needed, even if you’re 100% right about something.

for 20 women aged under 40 in a bid to address that imbalance

Fighting against gender gap and harassment by practicing age harassment themselves? That maybe can’t or shouldn’t work too.

No one is complaining about OLD SOCIETY GAP in which elderly rule the country just because they are in majority

Well one would have to look into the cause of that which would be because people have been choosing to have less have children for the past 50 years here. Exponential depopulation is here and what you describe is a real consequence.

Perhaps as women feel more empowered they will be more likely to have children, which is also a problem in Japan.

Rei's dad removed all his business from Japan because the stagnant old business elite, joined at the hip with stagnant old political elite, tried to destroy him.

However the family seem to still engage in smart philanthropic initiatives inside Japan to try to improve society.

The Murakami family know that without proper modernisation and equality in business and politics, Japan will always be in decline.

Good luck to Ms. Saito.

A true democracy is where leaders are elected fairly.

It doesn't matter whether it's male dominated, or female dominated

Good luck to all the aspiring politicians, hope they put the interest of the nation first before theirs

When will we see a female prime minister?

There has been diversity and demicracy in the political scene in Japan because people of each gender, male and female, have had the right to be part of the voting process and also the part of the candidacy process.

Yes, women need to support other women and elect them. I suspect one reason why they don't is tall poppy syndrome.

Young people will be something like thirty times more likely to vote for the LDP (about 40% support amount the young) than Japan's more progressive party, the JCP. Most of its voters are elderly women. Japan may be "conservative and ageing" but this begins at age 18.

Some of her family history, her father was a grifter:

Yoshiaki Murakami (her father) is considered the father of activist investing in Japan. He was arrested for insider trading in 2006 and later convicted and sentenced to prison, which was suspended on appeal. He was forced to close his multibillion-dollar fund but later returned to investing.

She has zero experience in politics or business, just the daughter of a convicted felon.

https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2022/11/14/daughter-of-famed-japan-investor-activist-starts-politics-school

children are not guilty of the crimes by their parents.

100% support the entrance of women into the old boys club that have been responsible for the lost decades, but please ladies make sure you are wise in the ways of the world, understand it’s mechanisms, become competent in the fields necessary to make informed judgements and steer the old ship that is Japan to brighter shores. If you do , you will knock the old fools out of the water, if you don’t they will tear you apart. Be very wary of running simply on the ‘diversity’ card, because empty sloganism is is rife in the world right now. It may be easy press, but the actual job takes an incredible amount of both knowledge and wisdom. A bit worried about getting behind a 20 year old sociology student, but hope she is bright enough not to fall into some of the power traps we have seen in the West.. Play the wrong game and you actually can do damage to your own cause. Wish you nothing but luck though. Faito.

Politics in Japan are controlled by political families of many many generations and political factions. Very difficult braking into those.

Political apathy by a huge slab of the populace is actually mindboggling.

Pathetically low turn outs - last weeks nationwide mayoral elections 56% of the positions saw only 1 candidate run and 30% of the assembly positions were uncontested.

Last years National election saw only a 55% turnout - and that was a rise.

All of the scandals facing the govt - the huge problems in education, pensions, poverty, working wages, moonies etc and Abe's shocking murder could only elevate the number of voters a handful of percent.

Womens positions in the democratic process in Japan are even more woeful as the statistics bear out.

As of April 2023 Japan ranks 166th in the world for female members in the National lower house - less than 10% and is only a little better in the weak upper house at 25%.

Japan citizens will really need to shake off their "shikata ga nai" shackles concerning politics if they want their families to prosper into the late 21st C.

ATM in poor/undemocratic countries around the world people are dying fighting for their rights and democratic voices to be heard.

Regardless of excuses the situation here is deplorable.

Women are a rare sight in Japanese politics, but 20-year-old Rinka Saito is determined to run for office one day because "you can't have true democracy without diversity".

Rinka Saito, the thicker the skin the better.

Knowledge about the dominance of hereditary politics/politicians will present the difficulties ahead.

Political nepotism in Japan is unrivalled globally. Thirty percent of diet politicians have progressed through the strength of/from a political family

I wish Rinka Saito every success.

Drop your story, thoughts and expectations by E Mail to......

Dr Yoshiomi Saito

https://www.lse.ac.uk/International-History/People/visiting-research-fellows/saito/Dr-Yoshiomi-Saito

Also....

LSE SU Japan Society

https://www.facebook.com/LSESUJapanSociety/

Maybe a shot to nothing, but worth a try

If the best qualified candidate is a female then it is up to the male and female voters to elect that candidate. Something in Japan prohibits that?

A true democracy is where leaders are elected fairly

Maybe a better way to look at this is a true democracy is where everyone with the skills, qualities and motivation has the equal opportunity to be elected fairly.

It's certainly not just Japan which falls short here.

Maybe a better way to look at this is a true democracy is where everyone with the skills, qualities and motivation has the equal opportunity to be elected fairly.

A true democracy is where leaders are elected fairly.

Anybody, not just those with skills qualities or motivation.

Fairly.

The LDP decides who will be their candidates in an election.

Jun 30, 2022 — It's been four years since the gender parity law was passed in Japan, with the aim of fielding an equal number of female and male candidates ...

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220630/p2a/00m/0op/015000c

A true democracy is where leaders are elected fairly.

Anybody, not just those with skills qualities or motivation

?

The people who lack the motivation to be a leader don’t run. They aren’t on the ballot

I started my career after college by knocking on doors, hundreds of then, until I was able to prise one open enough to pitch my idea to investors.

However I learnt as a researcher making the coffees and water cress sandwich's, taking the minutes. Just listening and learning.

Everyone can be a candidate and no one is forcing anyone to vote for male candidates or LDP elderly male group and direct descendants as you called it.

No this is not true. You have to pay 3 million yen to get your name on the ballot, and receive a set % of the vote to get funding (refund) from the government.

Japan's laws about campaign finance are very strict, and only those with money, or that have backers with deep pockets, can get their names on a ballot, and you have to be over 30 for Diet elections.

So no, "everyone" can not be a candidate.

Japan will have a female PM some day. Just saying they should "have one", is wrong too. Just putting a woman in the PM's office will be meaningless, unless she earned it, like all the other PM's in history.

Tanaka Makiko came close, but then scandals screwed it up for her. Koike might have made a great PM, but she chose to buck the LDP system and become the Gov of Tokyo. Renho would have been great, in my opinion, but she has too many enemies in the LDP and she's in the wrong party.

Women should start their own party, and get women to support them. Only problem is that in today's Japan, women themselves can't get together and agree on issues.

Women do not have the opportunity to become prime ministers since the leader is elected by their party.

Are you joking ?

A 20 year old girld with no specific skills outside a rich father saying she will change the world (Japan) ?

One can try but if it is to turn from nepotism/gerontacry represented by LDP to a party stemming from a matriarchy/youth led members only, that ain't good either...

IMHO, a candidate should be elected for their iwn skills and wisdom gained through experience, not by studying to become a politician.

It is just Japan when compared to any other OECD nation.

Hahahaha

Ha, Ha - plenty of votes down, but no debate or discussion on the facts / points I raised.

Come on - this is a public forum.

State your case.

Or just bots???

ONLY Women can bring about a change, don't expect the men to do it for you.

ATM in poor/undemocratic countries around the world people are dying fighting for their rights and democratic voices to be heard.

Regardless of excuses the situation here is deplorable.

Aren't the situations in those countries where people are "dying fighting for their rights and democratic voices to be heard.", far more deplorable?

A 20 year old girl with no specific skills outside a rich father saying she will change the world (Japan) ?

The article does not say that Ms Saito has a rich father.

ian - thanks for your reply.

The level of deplorableness between countries is not the point of contention - obviously!

The simple fact that citizens throughout history have strived for simple human and democratic rights, including the right to voice and representation.

Today these basic rights are still being denied to millions.

Fast forward to rich Japan (and others), where so many creature comforts exist that around 50% of the population can't be bothered with exercising their right to vote to create a healthy democracy. Why?

Ignorance? Indifference? Uncaring? Too troublesome? I don't like Politics? Nothing will change anyway?

Deplorable.

You have to ask them why they are exercising their right to vote by not voting.

Judging without even knowing is one of the things I would call deplorable

In the U.S., young female representatives have turned out to be radical plants raised on Facebook and Tik Tok like AOC seeking to weaken America. Can't see how Japan would benefit from Frenzel.

ian - thanks again for your reply.

Yes - you are correct. To get an answer with 100% accuracy you would have to ask the 10s of millions of eligible voters why in fact they didn't vote.

Quite an immense task - impossible I'd say.

Perhaps they all are exercising their right to not vote as you hint. You know, "I live in a democracy and it's my democratic right to not vote. I've considered all options and I choose to seek directly no representation. It's my free choice".

Maybe!

And sorry - but your suggestion that I'm judgmental hence deplorable may work for you, but not for me.

I have spoken on this topic with lots of people over the past 2+ decades - from uni students to the elderly and many have given responses similar to those I noted. The highest % response over the years as I recall has always been around the notion "Nothing will change anyway" or something similar.

Also the question of a willingness to vote has been put to people on news shows and other media many times over the years.

All non-scientific and anecdotal I know - but an indicator none the less.

And finally - if you read my posts clearly you would understand that the use of the term deplorable was in comment of actions not undertaken when freely given, as opposed to the billions around the world who are suffering because they are denied that same basic human right.

I have close friends here - lovely people - who carry out this act of not voting. They aren't deplorable.

I would want the best qualified person to be in office, rather than discriminating on some quality.