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Tokyo — Nearly 60 women lawmakers successful Japan, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, person submitted a petition calling for much toilets successful the parliament gathering to lucifer their improved representation.
Although the fig of women politicians roseate successful the past predetermination -- and contempt Takaichi becoming the archetypal pistillate premier curate successful October -- Japanese authorities remains massively male-dominated.
This is reflected by determination being lone 1 lavatory containing 2 cubicles adjacent the Diet's main plenary league hallway for the 73 women elected to the little house, according to the petition.
The National Diet gathering successful Tokyo successful September 2025.
Kiyoshi Ota / Bloomberg via Getty Images
"Before plenary sessions start, genuinely truthful galore women lawmakers person to signifier agelong queues successful beforehand of the restroom," said Yasuko Komiyama, from the absorption Constitutional Democratic Party.
She was speaking aft submitting the cross-party entreaty signed by 58 women to Yasukazu Hamada, the seat of the little location committee connected rules and administration, earlier this month.
The Diet gathering was finished successful 1936, astir a decennary earlier women got the ballot successful December 1945 pursuing Japan's decision successful World War II.
The full little location gathering has 12 men's toilets with 67 stalls and 9 women's facilities with a full of 22 cubicles, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.
Japan ranked 118 retired of 148 this twelvemonth successful the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report. Women are besides grossly under-represented successful concern and the media.
In elections, women candidates accidental they often person to woody with sexist jibes, including being told that they should beryllium astatine location looking aft children.
In the past election, successful 2024, 73 women were elected to the 465-seat little location -- 1 has since near -- up from 45 successful the erstwhile parliament. There are 74 women successful the 248-seat precocious house.
The government's stated people is to person women inhabit astatine slightest 30 percent of the legislative seats.
Takaichi, an admirer of erstwhile British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, said earlier becoming premier that she wanted "Nordic" levels of sex equilibrium successful her cabinet.
But, successful the end, she appointed conscionable 2 different women to her 19-strong cabinet.
Takaichi, 64, has said she hopes to rise consciousness astir women's wellness struggles and has spoken candidly astir her ain acquisition with menopause.
But she is inactive seen arsenic socially conservative.
She opposes revising a 19th-century instrumentality requiring joined couples to stock the aforesaid surname and wants the imperial household to clasp male-only succession.
The expanding request for women's toilets tin beryllium seen arsenic a motion of advancement for Japan though it besides reflects the nation's nonaccomplishment to execute sex equality, Komiyama said.
"In a way, this symbolizes however the fig of pistillate lawmakers has increased," Komiyama told reporters, according to her party's website, adding that she hoped for much equality successful different areas of life.
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