Shinzo Abes push for women in Japanese politics

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Pic: AP.

On Oct. 22, we looked at women in Japans work force. Now we look at politics writes Todd Crowell for Asia Sentinel.

In an effort to burnish his avowed policy of empowering women, sometimes known as womenomics, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appointed five women to his cabinet in his September 3 re-shuffle.

It is not the most women in a Japanese cabinet former premier Junichiro Koizumi also had five women in one of his cabinets, but it is unusual for Japan, which also lags most every democracy in the world for female MPs.

The well-intentioned move has turned into a major embarrassment for Abe. Japan has never seen the spectacle of two cabinet members, both of them women, resigning their posts in one day.

Yoko Obuchi and Midori Matsushima both resigned their cabinet posts on Oct. 20 to take responsibility for public fund accounting mistakes made by their staff and support groups that some say verge on buying votes.

In Matsushimas case, the staff handed out free tickets to a famous singers concert. Her mistake apparently was handing out handheld fans with her profile on printed on them.

Known as uchiwa in Japanese, they are the kind of thing that stores hand out for free to advertise their wares. Since the resignation story broke, hand fans with Matsushimas profile on them have been selling for US$100 or more on eBay.

The ink was hardly dry on Obuchis resignation letter than her replacement was in trouble. Yoichi Miyazawa had to admit that some of his staff took supporters to a Hiroshima S&M bar and listed the US$170 expense as political entertainment.

The new and possibly soon to be ex- minister told reporters, It is true that such expenses were made, but I did not go there at all. He said that sadomasochism is not my hobby.

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Shinzo Abes push for women in Japanese politics