February 7, 2020

Members of the newly-established Japanese Communist Party commission for gender equality on February 6 visited the New Japan Women's Association (Shinfujin) head office in Tokyo and talked with Shinfujin representatives.

The JCP in its 28th Congress last month approved the establishment of the gender equality commission focusing on gender issues as a key challenge of the Party Program.

Shinfujin Chairperson Yoneyama Atsuko explained the group's activities regarding various issues such as discrimination against women, sexual violence, a selective dual surname system, and sexual harassment.

Yoneyama also said that Shinfujin has been working on local assemblies to adopt the following four resolutions: Japan's ratification of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (OP-CEDAW); a resolution to the issue of wartime Japanese military "comfort women"; legal recognition of family members' wages as necessary expenses for their family businesses; and the revision of the Civil Code in order to realize a selective dual surname system.

JCP member of the House of Councilors Kurabayashi Akiko, who is in charge of the party's gender equality commission, expressed her determination by saying, "We're looking forward to learning from your rich experience in the women's rights movement, and I hope our party will become more active in this area."

Both sides also talked about the so-called "flower demonstrations" which are spreading nationwide against sexual assaults and about the courageous actions taken by sex crime victims which led to Diet debates.

Past related articles:
> JCP Congress ends with unanimous adoption of 3 drafts [January 19, 2020]
> Protest against sexual violence take place in 10 locations nationwide [June 12, 2019]