Changes must be made across a wide range of settings to overcome deeply rooted gender roles and achieve gender equality, Rengo head Tomoko Yoshino said in an interview. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/04/economy/rengo-head-gender-equality/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #rengo #unions #women039sissues #jobs
Japan's Supreme Court has dismissed a U.S. airman's appeal against his five-year prison sentence for kidnapping and sexually assaulting an underage girl in Okinawa Prefecture in 2023. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/03/japan/crime-legal/okinawa-rejection-airman-appeal/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #us #japanesecourts #okinawa #usmilitary #sexcrimes #usbases #usjapanrelations #women039sissues #childabuse #supremecourt
The proportion of women running in Japan's general election next month has barely advanced, reports have said, despite a trailblazing win last year by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/28/japan/few-women-election-ballot/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #ldp #sanaetakaichi #2026lowerhouseelection #women039sissues
Tokyo police have arrested the head of what they say is Japan’s largest sex worker scouting ring after a yearlong manhunt. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/27/japan/crime-legal/scout-leader-arrest/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #natural #prostitution #tokyo #women039sissues #yakuza #japanesepolice
The LDP pledged in its election manifesto to secure a stable supply of rare earths, as it looks to counter “economic coercion,” an apparent reference to recent moves by China to halt the flow of the minerals to Japan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/21/japan/politics/ldp-election-manifesto/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #sanaetakaichi #rareearths #china #chinajapanrelations #2026lowerhouseelection #diet #defense #inflation #japaneseeconomy #familyregistry #marriage #familylaw #names #women039sissues
Despite being branded anti-feminist by media elites, Japan’s first female prime minister Sanae Takaichi exposes the blind spots and hypocrisy of academic feminism. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/16/japan/takaichis-success-and-feminisms-failures/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #feminism #women039sissues #sanaetakaichi #satsukikatayama #ldp #childabuse #childporn #caregiving #genderequality
At a meeting with female ambassadors to Japan held at the Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called for united action to eliminate barriers facing women seeking leadership roles. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/16/japan/politics/takaichi-gender-barriers/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #women039sissues #discrimination
Six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek on Saturday said she saw little point to the recent "Battle of the Sexes" match and that women's tennis has nothing more to prove. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2026/01/03/tennis/swiatek-battle-of-sexes/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #tennis #igaswiatek #wtatour #women039sissues #arynasabalenka #nickkyrgios
Nearly 60 women lawmakers in Japan, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, submitted a petition calling for more toilets in the parliament building to match their improved representation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/31/japan/politics/toilets-women-lawmakers/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #toilets #women039sissues #health
Japan is the fastest aging nation in the world. Now that we're closer to 2050 than 2000, how will that affect the generation now coming of age? https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/29/japan/society/japan-2050-predections-depopulation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #depopulation #aging #demographics #teens #elderly #comingofageday #lifeexpectancy #rurallife #women039sissues
How Takaichi’s government addresses the implementation gap for existing laws will define whether her historic appointment translates into substantive progress for women’s safety. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/26/japan/can-takaichis-tackle-violence-against-women/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #domesticviolence #women039sissues
Japan's government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party plan to postpone formulating the sixth basic program for promoting gender equality, initially scheduled to be compiled by the end of the year, sources said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/24/japan/politics/new-gender-program-delayed/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #marriage #names #ldp #sanaetakaichi #familylaw #women039sissues
Labor leader Tomoko Yoshino has expressed opposition to a proposal by the government to give legal validity to the use of former surnames after marriage. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/17/japan/rengo-surname-plan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #familylaw #marriage #names #women039sissues #rengo #tomokoyoshino
AI-driven automation threatens to disproportionately displace women from their jobs, and policymakers and employers must ensure equal access to AI tools and training to prevent gendered economic fallout. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/14/world/ai-labor-shock-coming-for-women/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #women #women039sissues #jobs #employment #chatgpt #ai #artificialintelligence
With abortion being illegal in Afghanistan, many women are risking their lives by turning to potentially dangerous alternatives. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/12/asia-pacific/society/afghanistan-abortions-illegal/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #society #afghanistan #abortion #women039sissues #taliban
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first female leader, is the “highest-ranked political newcomer” to the Forbes World’s Most Powerful Women ranking. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/11/japan/society/takaichi-forbes-powerful-woman-list/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #sanaetakaichi #women039sissues #chinajapanrelations #taiwanjapanrelations
During a career with Suntory Group, Masako Orii forged a path through marketing and human resources before arriving at the famed Suntory Hall. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/07/women-work-masako-orii/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #women039sissues #masakoorii #suntory
The government, in its sixth basic program for promoting gender equality, will stipulate that it will consider legislation to legalize the use of pre-marriage family names. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/06/japan/society/japan-surname-gender-equality-program/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #familyregistry #familylaw #marriage #names #nipponishinnokai #ldp #women039sissues #diet
After controversy over use of CCTV footage and following a re-edit, Shiori Ito’s Oscar-nominated documentary is finally getting released in Japan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/12/04/film/shiori-ito-documentary-review/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #shiroito #academyawards #documentaries #film #journalism #sexcrimes #women039sissues
To address the economic burden on expectant and nursing mothers, Japan plans to set a nationwide uniform amount for childbirth expenses and fully cover this with health insurance, eliminating out-of-pocket costs. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/03/japan/society/childbirth-costs-full-coverage/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #pregnancy #women039sissues #insurance