August 17, 2022

A feminist action group working to increase the number of female legislators at the national and local levels on August 16 visited Japanese Communist Party Vice Chair Kurabayashi Akiko (House of Councilors), who heads the party’s gender equality commission, at the JCP head office, demanding the utilization of the group’s report on a survey of bullying and harassment in local legislatures targeting women politicians.

The report which the Alliances of Feminist Representatives (AFER) released in May reveals that in local assemblies, rookie members and minor party members, especially women members, experience constant harassment. The report discusses the underlying cause of bullying and harassment against women in local assemblies, proposing measures to prevent such unjust behavior.

AFER member and former Hachioji City Assemblymember Jinnai Yasuko pointed out that the findings of the survey indicated that female local assemblypersons suffer exclusion from participation in discussions when they are the only female member or belong to a minor party. She said that it is important to introduce measures to make local assemblies harassment-free.

In response, Kurabayashi said that the problem is the lack of legislation banning harassment, and added, “The need is to take effective action to eliminate harassment of women politicians in local assemblies, in addition to enlightening local assemblypersons about this matter and setting up of a consultation desk in assemblies.”