Women in Japanese Politics, Research Paper Example

Introduction

For years, Japan has been known for its increasing reluctance to give women a chance to succeed in politics. Throughout centuries, and under the impact of specific Japanese culture, women have been persistently denied an opportunity to become political professionals. Regardless of what the media was writing, and even against the growing social and cultural concerns, women in Japanese politics and government remain highly underrepresented. Compared to other advanced ideologies, Japan is not willing to change its attitudes toward female participation in labor and, moreover, does not undertake any actions necessary to change the situation. In light of these cultural and labor trends, media accounts regarding female inequality in Japan remain dry and mostly useless; they do not offer any effective recommendations but are only designed to show that Japan is aware of the issue of gender equality in the country.

Throughout years and centuries, gender equality has been a matter of the major social concern in Japan. Not only were women denied a chance to participate in labor on terms equal with men, but they were not given a single opportunity to express their opinions openly and to defend their right for equality. Recent media accounts of the problem reveal the growing gender equity awareness in Japan and confirm that Japan is not totally indifferent to the question of female participation in labor. The problem is particularly difficult in politics – the field of human activity which never let a single female in. Now, as attitudes toward women all over the world gradually change, and as more and more women use the new social opportunities to make a good career, Japan still lags behind the most developed world countries and seems unprepared to address the growing gender controversy in politics and other areas of human performance.

The recent media articles are concentrated on the issue of gender equality and reflect historical and cultural trends in Japan, which dominated Japanese social thinking in previous centuries and decades. For example, “the fiscal 2007 government white paper on gender equality shows a low level of advancement by Japanese women in politics, government, and business compared to other countries”.[1] In the same way, when it comes to managerial positions, only 10 percent of them are occupied by women, compared to 42 percent in the U.S.[2] However, in the context of female equality and gender issues, not only are women denied an opportunity to proceed with their career, but they also face a whole set of difficulties and even open offense whenever they attempt to reject the outdated gender principles in Japan and pursue their career goals. The recent example of Eriko Fukuda, a 28-year-old member of LDP and the Japanese parliament had been heavily attacked by her opponents, who used the information about her Hepatitis diagnosis for the sake of throwing Fukuda out of the political race.[3] However, Fukuda was one of the few to prove that, like many other women, she deserved to be granted a seat and that, even despite her young age and a serious health complications, she would be able to successfully cope with her political tasks.

Needless to say, that each generation tried to change the situation for the better, but never did those change attempts result in real gender improvements.[4] On the contrary, while women witnessed the changes, which other advanced countries underwent in their gender consciousness and thinking, they became more and more challenging and desperate in their desire to incorporate similar changes into the Japanese gender culture. To some extent, and the articles confirm this fact, long working hours as a part of the Japanese employment culture, do not always positive impact female daily performance.[5] Moreover, with the eternal Japanese emphasis on women as home guards and the carriers of the major family values, gender empowerment is often nothing but a hollow sound in the national striving to catch up with the rapid gender developments in the rest of the world. Many Japanese politicians still view gender empowerment as something that would threaten eternal family values and would leave them unprotected.[6] As a result, the pendulum swings from one extreme position (women in politics) to another (no to female empowerment), leaving women a scarce chance to realize their professional strivings.

Needless to say that the media accounts regarding female participation in politics in Japan are as dry as the culture itself; and rarely do these accounts seek to make a real change. Rather, they are designed to reflect the growing Japanese awareness about the problem, because in many aspects, this awareness and recognition may serve a good basis for establishing good reciprocal political relationships with other, more socially and culturally advanced countries. For example, neither Editorial[7], nor Nagata[8] use any photographs or illustrations to make their stories more compelling. In the same manner, Kwan Weng Kin, in his discussion of the two women for LDP presidency avoids using female images.[9] As a result, a common reader has a persistent impression that the authors of these articles, as well as of many others, intentionally hide their women from the public eye, not to make them the subjects of more acute discussion, and to leave them behind the curtains of the current social and political fight.

All articles target common readers and represent the problem in simple terms. The tone and the vocabulary of the message are as dry as media reports require, but very often, behind dry statistics and media clichés similar to “female empowerment” and “gender equality”, the authors simply lose the meaning of what they are trying to deliver. More often than not, the exact aim of these media messages becomes questionable. Are the authors trying to call for an action? Or, are they writing their articles to simply state the fact of gender inequality and the lack of female empowerment in Japan? Simultaneously, one of the dominant features in all articles is in that they all provide detailed comparisons between Japan and other advanced countries, including the U.S. These comparisons are designed, on the one hand, to emphasize the difficult situation in Japanese politics and, on the other hand, show Japan in a negative cultural light. “Japanese women workers’ average wage, as a percentage of men’s, is 66.8 percent higher than South Korea’s 62.6 percent and Malaysia’s 63 percent but lower than America’s 81 percent and Britain’s 82.6 percent”.[10] However, despite the fact that the United States is often cited as the bright example of how women should be treated by society, Nagata breaks this tradition and compared Japan to Rwanda – the comparison, which is more rigid, more striking, and more challenging simply because Rwanda, given its social and economic status can hardly compare to Japan. However, it appears that for women to have better chances for political and professional self-realization, economic and professional development and status are not the critical elements. In reality, it depends on how the government treats women and what policies and strategies it develops to address the most complex controversies. For example, the Rwandan Constitution gives women 30 percent of seats in the major decision-making bodies, including parliament.[11]

Unfortunately, for the most part, the authors of the discussed articles avoid quoting other professionals and specialists in gender and cultural studies. Moreover, all articles resemble a dry account of the problem, and are rather distanced from a live representation of the female empowerment issue, which could potentially involve women and their vision of the problem. Even in case an article is written by a female writer, her views are expected to follow the views of the prevailing Japanese majority which is still reluctant to open the gateway for female professional and political development in the country. The voices of women, who are actually the victims of these cultural pressures, are missing from the article. For these reasons, it would be fair to say that in the current media situation, it would be difficult for women to change their status. Not only are the bound to face the challenge of gender inequality because of the outdated cultural norms and standards, which they must follow, but because in their striving to change their situation, their voices are being constantly muted. For example, according to Kwan Weng Kin, there are currently more women involved in local politics than at the national level,[12] but the reasons of this social balance remain unclear. Thus, a common reader has an impression that either media professionals intentionally avoid engaging women into discussion, or they do not realize the role and importance of primary views. Given this information, and in the context of the current discussion, the media accounts about the role of Japanese women in politics and labor should be more detailed, more live, and more direct. In other words, in distinction from the dry reports, which currently fill online newspapers and magazines, the discussion of female empowerment and gender inequality in Japan should concentrate on the reasons and visions, which women have about the problem. Recommendations should be provided as for how this problem can be solved. Otherwise, the media will remain a weak argument in the state’s desire to change the gender situation to the better.

Conclusion

Women in Japan are denied opportunities for political and professional self-realization. That Japanese women do not have a chance to succeed in their career is justified by the long-standing cultural traditions in the country. However, although newspapers and magazines are becoming more concerned about the problem, they mostly reflect the state of culture and history in Japan. Women do not have a voice media. The accounts are dry and distanced. Statistics makes it difficult to understand the true reasons behind the issue. As a result, the media reflects the state’s reluctance to change the situation and only signifies the slowly growing awareness about the problem and the need for a concerted, well-organized social and political action.

Bibliography

Anonymous. “Women remain in the background.” The Japan Times Online, July 17, 2007. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20070717a1.html

Kin, K.W. “Female prime minister for Japan?” Straits Times, September 4, 2008. http://app.mfa.gov.sg/pr/read_content.asp?View,11004,

McCurry, J. “Female empowerment: How women are changing the face of Japanese politics.” Guardian, October 25, 2009. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/25/eriko-fukuda-japan-women-politics

Nagata, K. “Women still largely absent from politics.” The Japan Times Online, January 29, http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090129f2.html

Parry, R.L. “Rising daughters face uphill task.” The Times, October 15, 2005, p. 53.

[1] Anonymous, “Women remain in the background”, The Japan Times Online, July 17, 2007, http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20070717a1.html

[2] Anonymous, “Women remain in the background”, The Japan Times Online, July 17, 2007, http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20070717a1.html

[3] J. McCurry, “Female empowerment: How women are changing the face of Japanese politics”, Guardian, October 25, 2009, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/25/eriko-fukuda-japan-women-politics

[4] K. Nagata, “Women still largely absent from politics”, The Japan Times Online, January 29, 2009, http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090129f2.html

[5] K. Nagata, “Women still largely absent from politics”, The Japan Times Online, January 29, 2009, http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090129f2.html

[6] R.L. Parry, “Rising daughters face uphill task”, The Times, October 15, 2005, p. 53

[7] R.L. Parry, “Rising daughters face uphill task”, The Times, October 15, 2005, p. 53

[8] K. Nagata, “Women still largely absent from politics”, The Japan Times Online, January 29, 2009, http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090129f2.html

[9] K.W. Kin, “Female prime minister for Japan?”, Straits Times, September 4, 2008, http://app.mfa.gov.sg/pr/read_content.asp?View,11004,

[10] Anonymous, “Women remain in the background”, The Japan Times Online, July 17, 2007, http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20070717a1.html

[11] K. Nagata, “Women still largely absent from politics”, The Japan Times Online, January 29, 2009, http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090129f2.html

[12] K.W. Kin, “Female prime minister for Japan?”, Straits Times, September 4, 2008, http://app.mfa.gov.sg/pr/read_content.asp?View,11004,