Gender Equality Is Mochi in the Sky in Japan

Distorted definition of diversity explained by a female vice-minister

Believe it or not, although I’m a Japanese who lives in Japan, I think I know President Joe Biden better than Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. I’m fond of Joe’s ice cream habit and bromance with Barack Obama.

As for Mr.Kishida, I don’t know much about him, and I even googled his first name not to misspell it. I may need to be ashamed of my lack of interest in my own nation’s politics, but I’m not sure what to do about it.

My disinterest in the Japanese government is deeply intertwined with gender inequality in this society. For instance, the second cabinet of Kishida has three women out of 20. It’s only 15%, the lowest among G7 countries, and lower than the worldwide average, 21.9%.

Then, on November 11, vice-ministers were announced. This time, one out of 26 members was a woman. To make it worse, the only female vice-minister, Takako Suzuki, defended this gender balance saying, “you can’t tell diversity just by looking.”

I was aghast by her remarks. Slightly angry, to be honest. I wonder she can say that to Japanese girls’ faces in reality.

Of course, diversity is not only about gender, but it’s disappointing. Off-putting, too.

So, I usually skim Japanese news on the internet and listen to my favorite podcasts, which are coincidentally in English, because that’s much better for my mental health. I wish I could be proud of not only the culture and food, but also the politics of this nation.

Let me post something uplifting for my readers next time, probably not about politics.

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