ABSTRACT
The legislation that restricted female working hours resulted from an active debate over gender equality and protection that began soon after the onset of the United States occupation of Japan. The original LSL, enacted in 1947, was written by the Japanese government under the close supervision of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP), and thus reflected their biases of this administration. SCAP emphasized gender equality as part of its larger mission to democratize Japan. This ambition is reflected in the original LSL legislation that promoted the principle of equal work for equal pay. Yet, ironically, by this same legislation many women workers lost their jobs through provisions that sought to protect them.
