On 8 August 2021, Tokyo’s XXXII Olympiad drew to a close after 17 days of world-class sporting events. This once more marked Japan’s success in hosting the greatest show on Earth and a diverse plethora of talent from cultures around the world.

By accepting its nomination in 2013, the nation pledged to uphold the three values of Olympism: excellence, friendship, and respect. These values aim to promote equality between all peoples, athletes, and citizens alike. However, with controversies surrounding gender equality regularly making Japanese headlines and multiple resignations of public figures over sexism rows, it must be questioned whether this vow was truly upheld.

DISCRIMINATION IN HIGH OFFICE

Earlier this year, the creative chief of Tokyo’s Olympics, Hiroshi Sasaki, resigned after making comments body shaming Naomi Watanabe - a plus-sized entertainer - and describing her as an “Olympig”. Just one month earlier, the chair of the Japanese Olympic Committee was forced to step down following remarks he made, stating that women “talk too much,” amongst other comments. Prior to his role as Japan’s Olympic Organising Committee Chief, Yoshiro Mori was formerly Japanese Prime Minister under the nationalist Liberal Democratic party (LDP). The LDP remains incumbent in government and oversaw the 2020 Olympics. It recently declared that women are only invited to party political conferences on the condition they “do not speak” - in other words, women are to be seen not heard.

This repressive stance taken by Japan’s government is not unique to its ideology. Rather, it is reflective of social attitudes towards Japanese women, who have long been alienated from political, economic, and business leadership roles. At present, only 46 of 465 politicians in the Shugiin (Japan’s House of Representatives) are women. Female representation in law-making therefore lies at a woeful 10% compared to a 25% global average. Therefore, policy decisions made on behalf of women are carried out through a male-dominated and often sexist lens. In 2007, the Health Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa declared publicly that “women are child-bearing machines,” which continued to feed the popular stereotyping in Japan that the main contribution of women to society ought to be bearing and raising children.

These attitudes towards women in positions of high-office are also promulgated by female figures. In 2018, Mio Sugita, a prominent politician within the LDP,  used the same gender stereotypes to criticise same-sex marriage. She openly challenged the use of taxpayers’ money to support same-sex marriages, arguing that same-sex couples “do not produce children…they lack productivity and, therefore, do not contribute to the prosperity of the nation”. She later won Japan’s facetious ‘most sexist comment award’ in 2021 for casting doubt upon sexual abuse allegations.

On minority rights, Masateru Shiraishi, a veteran of the Tokyo political sphere, opined that his municipality would “cease to exist” by depopulation if the rights of sexual minorities were enshrined in law. Such influential public figures making judgements about women therefore permeate debates and often prevent meaningful change from being enacted.

However, it should be noted that the views of the LDP do not represent those of the entire Japanese population; equality campaigner Hiroki Komazaki stated that many “men, including lawmakers, think these sexist comments and actions by the LDP are unthinkable”.

DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE

According to the World Economic Forum, Japan’s placement on the Global Gender Gap Index tumbled to 121 in a list of 153 countries in 2020 – the largest gender gap amongst advanced economies. This new ranking is not misplaced given that only 15% of leadership positions are held by women - with some companies accepting less than 1% female board members - and female income in Japan is approximately half that of men on average.

A nod to social views of a woman’s role in society, it has been theorised that the reason for this economic disparity is that women spend “more than four times as much time as men on unpaid domestic work” meaning that they have less opportunity to engage in paid labour, and are thus prevented from career progression.

Of the women hired in 2018, almost three-quarters were shifted into part-time work. Less than half of working women hold full-time positions which shows alarming disparity with the contrasting statistic of four out of five men. According to The Japan Times, this is due to the fact that the majority of Japanese companies hire staff out of the shukatsu, a system which fast-tracks college graduates. As there is a reluctance to transfer part-time workers to full-time positions, the shukatsu has been described as a high-stakes lottery. Those who do not receive permanent positions out of college are often destined for a more predictable, less rewarding career with little serious chance of change. By virtue of its design, this system creates further gender imbalance as women are often confined to part-time work in the shukatsu with no ability to escape its clutches. Furthermore, there is a reluctance to take a gamble on rising stars for continuity purposes; once in, an employee is there for the long haul.

Women may also be held back from attaining top positions as the result of direct discrimination in the form of negative social perceptions of women in prominent industrial positions. A study conducted in 2018 by Kantar and Women Political Leaders found that only 4% of Japanese people would feel comfortable having a woman as a CEO or immediate superior in a large company. This is inconsequential compared to the 63% figure found in the United States survey.

SOCIAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS EQUALITY

Akin to that of traditional British values in reading between the lines of dialogue, Japanese culture holds kuuki o yomu - the art of ‘reading the air’- in high regard. According to the BBC, it is vital to recognise and appreciate this value for it can “blow business deals and ruin relationships” if misread. Generally, this applies to polite etiquette such as opening a window if someone mentions that it is too hot. It also can have a much deeper application.

Equality activist Momoko Nojo argues that this cultural acceptance prevents one from expressing emotion publicly or speaking out against injustice. This can extend to choosing not to confront sexist or discriminatory remarks, even if one deems them so, in order to prevent a situation becoming awkward – which can be seen as very disrespectful. 

So, in 2017, when journalist Shiori Ito became one of very few women to speak publicly about her rape allegations against a prominent television personality, it attracted barely any attention. On the contrary, she faced public backlash, including death threats. Both men and women branded her a public embarrassment, and she was relentlessly mocked on television by Japanese officials for trumped-up charges of immoral behaviour. She eventually sought refuge in the UK.

Older women have expressed support towards opposition of kuuki o yomu, claiming that by turning a blind eye they have been a part of the problem rather than the solution. As such, generational change and education could help to combat much of the sexism seen in Japan today. Hiroki Komazaki reported to the BBC that some older men have already “updated their attitudes through interactions with grandchildren or younger colleagues” as perceptions on gender are slowly being altered.

THE FUTURE OF JAPAN

Sexism in Japan has not gone unnoticed by its population. A large survey conducted in 2021 found that 65% of participants believe that men are favoured over women within Japanese society. The recognition of the issues at hand is an important step towards meaningful change.

Journalist Toko Shirakawa argues that there is a silver lining in that the pressure which forced Olympics’ chief Mori to resign represents a shift of societal progress. She notes that had his comments come a decade earlier, he likely would have offered a half-hearted apology and continued on with his job. Furthermore, activists such as Shirakawa and Nojo do not face any significant consequences for their campaigning – something that they have both agreed they are comfortable doing. It is a sign that times are changing.

Bound by international human rights law, the Japanese government must obey its legal obligations, especially to eliminate discrimination against women and girls. In 2015, the cabinet under then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe introduced a scheme designed to promote so-called ‘Womenomics’. At surface level, it appears to have been a success, but a deeper dive exposes a disappointing reality. Though more women joined the workforce, due to the quota increase, lasting issues remained. For instance, the type of work on offer favoured quantity over quality. Abe’s government target to reach a 30% quota of ‘women in top jobs’ by 2019 failed miserably, only achieving a meagre 7.9%. (Japanese)This target was quietly pushed back to 2030.

Now is the critical moment for Japan to adopt a new, modern, and inclusive way forward which must involve increased female representation and business incentives to ensure equality across the economy. Policies that empower women to thrive will allow Japan to harness the benefits of gender equality and narrow the discrimination gap once and for all.

This will not happen overnight, however, as predications suggest it will take decades of fundamental change rooted from the bottom up in order to see equality between the sexes. It is a long road ahead, but much like the transition of an athlete to Olympian status, it all begins at the starting block.