U.N. committee urges Japan to take steps to eliminate discrimination against women

Japan Press Weekly

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U.N. committee urges Japan to take steps to eliminate discrimination against women

The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women on August 18 urged the Japanese government to take urgent measures to eliminate discrimination against women.

In its final view of the progress in Japan's implementation of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Committee pointed out that the Japanese government has failed to fulfill the commitments it made in 2003. It expressed concerns and made requests on more than 22 items, which were raised in 2003, including employment, education, violation of rights, and opportunities for women.

The committee recommended that the Japanese government revise the discriminatory items of the Civil Law, including the legal difference in the minimum age between men and women eligible for marriage, the period of time only imposed on women in which they cannot remarry, and the requirement of a married couple to have the same last name.

Concerning labor issues, it demanded that the government prohibits employers from setting different employment tracks for men and women workers, reduce wage gaps between men and women, and ban illegal lay offs of women workers during pregnancy or after giving birth.

- Akahata, August 20, 2009