DigitalFunk comments

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and unfortunately, we allow beauty to be defined from a male perspective. It's a universal problem. People judge themselves for who they think they're supposed to be, instead of appreciating who they are and what they can do with those bodies. Like win a Nobel Prize for iPS, or win a gold medal for wrestling.

I can't appreciate jealous comments that Japanese girls have nothing to show for. That's just jealous girl-on-girl hate talk. Would you say that to your best friend, your lover, your sister or your daughter? No. People come in different shapes and sizes. Get over it. And ladies, wear whatever you like to the beach.

The issue is much more complex than that, smith. I do encourage you to watch Miss Representation or browse thru the Geena Davis Institute See Jane pages for solid facts. For instance:

girls are learning to see themselves as objects. American Psychological Association calls self-objectification a national epidemic: Women and girls who self-objectify are more likely to be depressed, have lower confidence, lower ambition and lower GPAs. Women respond to advertisers’ messages of never being good enough: American women spend more money on the pursuit of beauty than on their own education. More than 70% of women on TV are in their 20s and 30s. “A male dominant system values women as child bearers so it limits their value to the time that they are sexually and reproductively active and they become much less valuable after that.” – Gloria Steinem “All of Hollywood is run on one assumption: That women will watch stories about men, but men won’t watch stories about women. It is a horrible indictment of our society of we assume that one half of our population is just not interested in the other half.” - Geena Davis

It's fine for upper class wome like Ando who can make it on their own but toxic to those who have difficulty. We still need to value marriage more and make it the ideal for child bearing and raising. You have to remember that most women do not have the financial resources to be mothers on their own like she.

And the solution to that is to provide women a chance to find a job that pays enough, that allows for women to balance childcare with a career. Not to marry them off. If you want to bring in the discussion of "values", let's start by including the fathers who remain absent. It takes two to tango, and it wouldn't be fair to write this off as a single mom issue. It's a societal issue where the responsibility to have and raise children falls on the shoulders of women in this country, while the men should be equally responsible for having put a child on earth. If you don't "value" a child, wear a rubber.

No one asks a guy this stupid question

Looking forward to the study! "Miss Representation" highlights the same problem, how women's representation in the media is so limited and harmful to not only young women, but to men as well. I wonder how Japan will score, showing only the same type of women on tv - young, slim and not prominently leading, as opposed to the diverse types of successful male tv personalities ranging from Mino Monta to London Boots hosting more than one tv show. It's about time we see a broader and healthier range of women in leading roles.

Where do all these people come from, telling her to get married ASAP, and are so judgmental? She is an empowered woman, one who can take care of herself AND her baby. Just because one is raised in a "traditional" family, doesn't mean other forms of families are wrong. Crawl back under that patriarchy rock you came from and let this woman lead the life chooses.

A true hero, to amplify the voices of these women. If only more men would have the courage to call out horrific acts of sexual violence against women and girls. We condemn those countries that require four witnesses to prove a woman's rape, because her testimony alone is not sufficient. It's worrisome to see that same devaluation of women and the violation of their rights continue here today. Sex slaves have been speaking up about this matter for decades, and now with Mr. Matsumoto speaking up, we all suddenly see this as proof? It's obvious the playing field for women is not level, as women have to fight harder to be heard, to be taken seriously, to have the same access to justices. Like Mr. Matsumoto says, "because someone else kills people, is it all right to be a murderer? That is no excuse." Sexual violence is a crime and therefore there is no excuse under any circumstance.

Unlike many other developed countries, largely mono-ethnic Japan does not have a significant Muslim population, and there is little emphasis in the educational curriculum on cultural sensitivity.

What a lame excuse! Don't try to justify this kind of behavior in 2013. Being "mono-ethnic" doesn't give you a free pass to act bigoted.

This woman deserves this sentence. But I'm not hearing anything about the father(s) of the babies who has/have an equal responsibility in the death of these kids. Just because the mother carried them in her uterus, doesn't mean they are her responsibility only. It's all too easy for those monsters to get away with child neglect. You deposit the sperm, you create a human being, you better take responsibility for that too!

That's the most expensive 10 yen coin I've heard of.

Coward

@Disillusioned: Stop victim blaming

"Increased stress could be to blame"??? How about teaching most of the men and some women(because the fact remains that most perps are of the male sex and DV stems from gender inequality) that NOTHING justifies beating your spouse? If you experience "stress" in your workplace, you start beating your boss, too?

The figures of the WHO are still careful, those three reactors are still spewing radiation. Lets not forget the J Gov didn't tell its people there was a meltdown in the first place.

The wife is angry because he thinks it's atarimae for her to clean up after him. Who wouldn't be if you were treated like some second -class house slave? Time for the Japanese to reconsider having a toilet IN the bathroom, so they can use the shower to hose down any stinky splatter at the end of the day. Lastly, it is better to urinate while sitting, because you can empty your blatter better. For guys feeling insecure about their masculinity and choose to stand up, just wipe it clean, thank you!

LDP policy chief Sanae Takaichi and party General Council Chairwoman Seiko Noda - quibbled on Sunday

Why is it that when it's women talking, it becomes "quibbling", Linda?

Men can't even keep up with their male colleagues! People in other countries manage to be efficient from 9 to 5, go home and enjoy their family time or other private time.

More women on the board means more profit for the company (google the credit suisse report). It's not just about gender diversity. It's about retaining talent, bringing innovative ideas to the table. Why can't women be valued for that???

Japan is aging fast. To keep things affordable, Japan needs more people in the work force (not saying women are the ONLY solution, but it's a good start), and to encourage more women to start or keep working, you need to have good quality day care or have good parental leave to combat the low fertility rate.

It's absolutely fine if women choose to be a stay-at-home-mom, but it should also be fine to be a working mother, especially knowing that nothing is certain in life.

It's about damn time for more diversity in the J-Gov. If Japan continues to shut out half of its population and continues this gender discrimination, they're going to miss out on half the potential and half the strength to revitalize this country. It's not about giving special treatment to women, it's about leveling the playfield which has been in favor of the menfolk. Women are enjoying the same education as men so why are they not awarded the same opportunities? There should be more incentive to encourage women to work or enter politics and getting rid of that patronizing 1.3 million yen ceiling is one solution, as well as special temporary measures such as quotas. Yes, Japanese women need to empower themselves before we can see a real change, but it would help if they were given equal rights to begin with, not just seen as "baby-making machines".

Not going to Davos? Probably doesn't want to hear Japan is ranking 101st place on the Gender Gap Index. Nothing to boast about that.