Japan makes tepid push on gender gap in politics as election nears
Even with a record fifth of all election candidates being women, political parties in Japan are struggling to address the country’s gender gap in politics.
ODAWARA, Japan — Karen Makishima is the only female running for Japan’s governing party in her 20-seat prefecture for the Oct. 27 general election, reflecting the tough battle women face in breaking into the country’s male-dominated politics.
Her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has promised to narrow one of the widest gender gaps among lawmakers in the democratic world, but even with a record fifth of all election candidates being women, it and other parties will most likely fail to hit a government target of 35% female lower house candidates by 2025.
While surveys show societal attitudes toward women in Japan are a barrier, some also say that the governing LDP, which has governed for almost all of the post-war period, is not serious about shrinking the gender gap in lawmakers, citing its failure to implement bolder measures.
Only 16% of LDP candidates in the upcoming poll are women, compared with 22% for the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), according to a Reuters analysis.
Gender inequality may not be a top issue in the snap election, but the scandal-hit LDP, which also faces an upper house poll by July, needs every vote, from both men and women, with polls suggesting it may lose its long-held majority.
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