International Women’s Day March Held in Tokyo’s Shibuya

Tokyo, March 8 (Jiji Press)–“Women’s March Tokyo,” a protest march against sexual violence and discrimination toward women, was held in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on International Women’s Day on Sunday. Participants paraded around Shibuya Station with placards and banners opposing sex discrimination. Similar marches took place in the city of Fukuoka in southwestern Japan and in the city of Nagoya in central Japan the same day. The marches held in conjunction with International Women’s Day began in 2017. This year marked the ninth event since the marches in 2020 were canceled due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. According to an official of the organizing committee, the aim of this year’s marches is to overcome the engineered divisions surrounding race and gender and to bring about change in the current critical situation. “Solidarity, not exclusion, is necessary” for achieving gender equality, the official emphasized. About 800 people participated in the march in Shibuya, about the same size as last year, the committee said. Seven members from Femikichi, an organization in the city of Musashino in western Tokyo focused on women’s issues, joined the march in Shibuya. A 31-year-old woman who heads the organization said: “A woman has become prime minister and female politicians are increasing, but not all of them advocate policies promoting gender equality. Through the march, we hope to call for the realization of gender equality.” Some participants carried signs reading “No to war.” A 31-year-old female company employee from Tokyo’s Nakano Ward expressed concerns about the current global situation, including attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel. She said, “I believe that showing up at the march like this can lead to some kind of change.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]