Tokyo, Oct. 22 (Jiji Press)–Expectations among women for Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, have turned into disappointment over the past year, Shin Ki-young, a professor at the Institute for Gender Studies at Ochanomizu University in Tokyo, said in a recent interview. “Women and younger voters who were not traditional supporters of the Liberal Democratic Party had high expectations for Takaichi because she was a woman and appeared to represent a change in the party’s image,” Shin said of the Japanese ruling party. “Those expectations may now have given way to disappointment.” The approval rating for Takaichi’s cabinet among women dropped to 42.9 pct from 65.9 pct when she took office a year ago, according to a Jiji Press opinion poll. “The decline in support among women, who initially backed the cabinet more strongly than men, has weighed on its overall approval rating,” Shin said. There is no prominent figure either within the LDP or in the opposition camp who could replace Takaichi, Shin said, adding this means that active support for the prime minister has waned. “Many expected progress on policies related to women, but little visible progress has been made,” she said. Shin said the prime minister’s efforts to promote broader use of maiden names is unlikely to resolve issues related to women’s identity and could instead block the introduction of a selective separate-surname system for married couples. This is nothing but “a policy aimed at maintaining support from conservative voters,” she said. Referring to a plan to revise laws related to prostitution in order to expand punishable acts to include the purchase of sexual services, Shin said, “Tougher regulations alone will not solve the problem.” “Greater emphasis should be placed on protecting those who sell sexual services from punishment and providing stronger support for them, while incorporating the perspectives of women in vulnerable situations,” she said. Takaichi had vowed to give many women cabinet posts, but her cabinet includes only two women, Shin said. “She could have appointed a substantial number of women to ministerial posts if she had insisted that she would do so after the LDP’s landslide victory in February’s general election,” Shin said. “Perhaps she was not actually that interested.” Increasing the number of female ministers will require an increase in the number of female lawmakers, Shin said. If a bill to reduce the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, is enacted, the number of female lawmakers could decline further, she said. Asked what she expects from Takaichi going forward, Shin said: “I hope the prime minister will listen more closely to the voices of the women who supported her rise to power. If she tries to listen, she will hear about the hardships, poverty and struggles people face in their daily lives.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
