February 3, 2023

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Kurabayashi Akiko, who heads the JCP gender equality commission, held a meeting with a women's organization on February 2 to discuss middle-aged, single women's economic situations and learned that many of them are forced to live in poverty.

At the Upper House members' office building, Kurabayashi met with the group called "waku waku senior singles" consisting of single women aged 40 years old and over.

According to the results of a survey conducted late last year by the group, 70% of single women surveyed answered that they are struggling to make ends meet, and 60% said that they are on a tight budget after paying their rent.

The group's representative, Oya Sayoko, told Kurabayashi that non-regular workers account for 49% of respondents in their 40s and 58% in their 50s, and that one in three respondents in their 40s and 50s live on an annual income of less than two million yen.

Oya said, "Most of them do not have any connection with counseling offices or support institutions." She expressed her concern that they may receive only a small pension in the future and may fall into extreme poverty. She stressed the need for administrative organs to correct the wage gap between men and women, increase basic pension benefits, and improve support programs.

Kurabayashi, in response, promised to press the national government to review related policies and measures so that basic human rights and the dignity of women in vulnerable positions can be respected.