July 18, 2024

The Japanese Communist Party Dietmembers’ group on July 17 met with the Japan Federation of Women’s Organizations (Fudanren) and its member organizations in the House of Representatives members’ office building to discuss the movement and challenges in realizing gender equality.

JCP Chair Tamura Tomoko said, “With the revision of the JCP Program four years ago, our party began placing gender equality as a major pillar of our Diet debates. LDP politics has been ‘stuck’ in all areas, including the improvement in people’s livelihoods, the country’s foreign policy, the promotion of gender equality, and the protection of human rights. In conjunction with your movement, we hope we will proactively partake in Diet discussions to realize a change in government.”

JCP Vice Chair Kurabayashi Akiko said, “The JCP will strengthen its efforts in various fields in order to link people’s struggles for gender equality to a change in government.”

Fudanren President Shibata Masako noted that 278 local municipal assemblies in Japan have adopted statements calling for Japan’s ratification of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (OP-CEDAW). She expressed her hope to continue working together with Fudanren affiliates and the JCP to press the government to ratify the protocol.

New Japan Women’s Association (Shinfujin) Chair Yoneyama Junko shared the group’s experience in working on Shinfujin’s signature-collection drive demanding that Japan endorse the OP-CEDAW.

Funabashi Hatsue who heads the Women’s Section of the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) spoke about various unions’ efforts to eliminate workplace harassment.

Meguro Chiemi, vice chair of the women’s groups of the National Federation of Traders and Producers Organizations (Zenshoren), said, “We have been campaigning for the removal of Article 56 of the Income Tax Act which disallows wages of family employees, mostly wives of the self-employed business owners, as necessary expenses when calculating business income. We believe this article encourages gender discrimination.”