A man's world: Japan makes tepid push on gender gap in politics as election nears

Karen Makishima is the only female running for Japan's ruling 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 likely fail to hit a government target of 35% female lower house candidates by 2025.

While surveys show societal attitudes towards women in Japan are a barrier, some also say the ruling LDP, which has governed for almost all 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, both from men and women, with polls suggesting it may lose its long-held majority.

Between making stump speeches and posing for photos in her coastal constituency of Odawara, about two hours drive from the capital Tokyo, Makishima told Reuters that female candidates struggle to overcome societal views that the long hours and cut and thrust of Japanese politics is not for women.

"The biggest drawback of having a low number of female legislators is that it doesn't change the traditional perceptions, such as that women are not suited to politics," said Makishima.

Japan's perennial gender gap problem has become a source of international embarrassment.

It currently has just over 10% female lawmakers in its lower house versus an average of 30% in other Group of Seven (G7) advanced democracies, according to a 2024 G7 report. It ranked 118 out of 146 countries in this year's World Economic Forum gender gap report.

Last year the LDP set its own party gender target of 30% female lawmakers by 2033, but some gender equality experts say the party needs more concrete plans like gender quotas.

"The LDP's dominance is really key to why there are so few women in politics," said Emma Dalton, a senior lecturer at Australia’s La Trobe University who has studied gender inequality in Japan.

Some of its lawmakers agree that its time for bolder action.

Tomomi Inada, a former defence minister, told Reuters she believed the party should consider implementing a quota system or set out a detailed plan for how it will hit its promised 30% female lawmakers by 2033.

"A realistic path, that's what we need," she said.

In an emailed response to Reuters questions', the LDP said it had no plans for quotas and limited scope to add female candidates in the election because many of its seats were held by incumbents. While parties must support women in politics, "a shift in societal attitudes is also necessary," the LDP said.

DISTORTED DEMOCRACY

The issues facing women in politics in Japan include gender stereotypes, difficulties balancing other commitments such as child rearing, and harassment, according to report issued by the government in 2021.

"When I’ve been out campaigning, people have kicked my signs, and when I have responded to discriminatory remarks some people have said, 'how dare a woman talk back!'," said Harumi Yoshida, the shadow minister for gender equality in the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ).

Nearly 60% of female respondents to a survey of more than 5,000 local lawmakers in 2020-21 said they had suffered harassment from the public or colleagues versus a third of male respondents.

Earlier this month, newly-anointed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba unveiled a new cabinet with just two women in what a rights group called a "clear backslide" in efforts towards gender parity. The CDPJ's shadow cabinet had eight.

In a letter to LDP leadership a week later, Inada and a group of other female lawmakers said the low number of women in parliament "distorts democracy itself".

The letter made several recommendations to improve gender parity in the election including ranking women higher on lists of non-constituency candidates selected by proportional representation, which gives them a better chance of winning seats.

A Reuters' review of those lists found higher rankings mainly dominated by men. The LDP said a record 39% of its candidates on the lists were female but declined to comment on their ranking.

Nevertheless, Makishima, who won her seat by a large margin in 2021, remains hopeful for broader change.

"We are in a transitional period," she said.