ABSTRACT
The rise of women in Japanese politics has also changed its dynamics, mostly regarding the topics that are addressed, but also in the way in which politics are run. Yet, even though Japan has participated in international gender forums and had signed treaties drafted to increase female participation in politics, but also the business world, the country remains weak in international gender equality ratings. Why this is so is one of the major points addressed in this chapter. Japan’s shift from an industrial society that has contributed to a rise in importance of less-traditional life-centered political issues, coupled with a more educated female population assuming positions in local politics, have factored into the albeit limited rise in the “feminization of Japanese politics.”
