Japan’s new prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, appointed only two women out of the 20 members in his cabinet. This decision has been criticized as a step backwards in Tokyo’s efforts to increase female representation in politics. Junko Mihara was chosen to handle children’s policies and Toshiko Abe was given the role of overseeing education, both seen as lower-profile positions.
The previous cabinet under outgoing prime minister Fumio Kishida had a quarter of women members, a record for Japan but still below international standards. The push to increase female lawmakers from 10% to 30% within the next decade is now in question.
Human Rights Watch’s Teppei Kasai highlighted the lack of progress, stating, “Going from five women cabinet members, which was already extremely low, to two, is a reflection of just how far Japan has to go in terms of women empowerment and equality.”
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