Japan’s new PM Sanae Takaichi makes history, but women ask what changes now?

Reuters:

TOKYO, Oct 22 – Sanae Takaichi took office on Tuesday as Japan’s first female prime minister, but her surprisingly male-dominated cabinet and socially conservative track record have left some women ambivalent in a country that lags on gender equality.

Takaichi on Tuesday appointed only two female ministers in a 19-member cabinet, matching her predecessor and falling short of her previously announced plan to ensure women’s representation in top posts “not particularly lower than Nordic countries”.

“The line-up she announced betrayed that promise from the outset,” said Tohko Tanaka, a media and gender studies professor at the University of Tokyo. “This is extremely disappointing and offers no hope for women’s empowerment.”

When asked about her cabinet’s gender imbalance, Takaichi told a Tuesday press conference that she “prioritised equal opportunity” and “assigned the right people to the right positions”.

Her options were limited, given that only 13% of her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers are women. The party aims to raise the ratio to 30% by 2033.

Female representation in Japanese cabinets has never topped 30%, while women comprise much bigger portions of Nordic cabinets, ranging from Denmark’s 36% to Finland’s 61%.