Women and Politics in Contemporary Japan (ASAA Women in Asia Series)

This book looks at the gendering of the political system in Japan and the effects of that system on gender equality in national-level politics specifically and wider society more generally. It examines the approach taken by the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to issues of gender equality in Japan, and the repercussions of that approach on women’s political experiences and representation. This book covers a range of themes including the role of the LDP and other major political parties in constructing the modern Japanese political system, the under-representation of women in Japanese politics, women’s experiences in party politics and the gendering of government policies. Using in-depth interviews with women members of the national Diet, the book sheds light on how political women negotiate the male-dominated world of Japanese politics. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 8 Copyright Page 9 Dedication 10 Table of Contents 12 List of illustrations 13 Acknowledgements 14 Abbreviations 16 Introduction 18 Persistent inequality 19 Political parties as gatekeepers 21 Earthquakes and infertility: changing political and social landscapes 22 Note on style 28 Notes 28 1. Women, power and politics under LDP rule: gender equity discourses and practices 1955–93 29 Political power structures after 1955: the rise of the LDP and the 'two-party system’ 30 Factions 34 Money politics and connections 35 The electoral system and female representation 37 Where institutional and cultural barriers meet 39 Gender norms in post-war Japan 40 Post-war gender equity policies 44 Employment legislation and the gendered division of labour 47 'Protection’ for women workers or guarantees for all workers? 49 Effects of the EEOL and criticisms 52 A woman’s place is not in politics 54 Notes 55 2. Post-1993 political power structures and gender equity policies 56 Political power structures post-1993 56 The impact of the electoral system reforms on women 58 The road to a 'gender-equal society’ 60 Dominant gender discourses in transition 63 The declining fertility rate 65 Revisions to the EEOL 67 The influence of international feminist discourses 70 Koizumi’s positive action 72 The 'utilisation’ of women candidates 75 Terminology and backlash: the diluted spirit of the Basic Law 78 Jendā furii and the backlash against gender equality 79 New approach, same old motivations 81 Notes 83 3. Ambivalent ambitions 85 'Because I was asked to’ 86 A sense of 'civic duty’ 89 Motivations for joining the LDP 90 Connection with a man as explanation for a political career 95 Reading lack of outward ambition as cultural 97 Notes 98 4. The importance of women in politics 99 The politics of presence 100 Women’s perspectives in politics 102 The seikatsusha and shufu discourses 103 Political amateurism as strategy in male-dominated politics: Tanaka Makiko 105 Women’s outsider-ness as a challenge to male-dominated politics 108 The 'utilisation’ of women’s experiences 114 'Women’s perspective’: challenging the status quo or reinforcing stereotypes? 116 Notes 118 5. Negotiating a masculinised party culture 120 The experiences of women in the party system 120 Masculinity in the Diet and the culture it shapes 122 'Men in skirts’ 125 'Toughening up’: negotiations of sexism by political women 126 Avoiding the failure/victim label: deploying the discourse of the individual 130 Party loyalty 134 The silencing of women in politics 136 Individualisation stifles progress towards gender equality in the Diet 137 Notes 138 Conclusion: the failure of 'equality' and the possibility of gender quotas 139 A stubborn problem 140 The LDP’s success fails women 141 Equality discourses and quotas 143 The domestic movement for gender quotas 145 Political party responses to gender quota campaign 146 'Leaving it to nature isn’t working’ 148 Future prospects for women in the Japanese Diet 153 Notes 154 Appendix 1: women in the Lower and Upper Houses 155 Appendix 2: women per political party 156 Appendix 3: interview participants 157 Glossary 158 Bibliography 159 Index 172 "This book looks at the gendering of the political system in Japan, and the effects of that system on gender equality in parliamentary politics specifically and society more generally. It examines the approach taken by the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to issues of gender equality in Japan, and the repercussions of that approach on women's political experiences and representation. Using in-depth interviews with LDP women, the book sheds light on how political women negotiate the male-dominated world of Japanese politics"-- Provided by publisher