Only 25% of all national parliamentarians were women as of October 2020, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a global organization of national parliaments. Shifting attitudesIn the past, women in Japan who defied expectations and pushed the needle on gender equality have faced backlash. Increasingly, people in Japan are no longer willing to turn a blind eye to discriminatory remarks made by politicians, adds Ueno, the sociologist. "Japan is such a male dominated society, we really want the few female politicians to be feminists. We also need (male politicians) to be better allies to women, and understand that the gender issue is important."

Source: CNN October 22, 2020 01:29 UTC