Japan Press Weekly

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2023 January 18 - 24 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Cross-party female parliamentarians exchange views on need to introduce quota system

Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission Chair Tamura Tomoko (House of Councilors) on January 19 attended a study meeting and exchanged with other parties’ female lawmakers views regarding the introduction of a quota system to increase women’s representation in the Diet.

At the meeting held in the Diet building, Tamura pointed out that it is necessary to discuss the issue of how to increase the share of women in the Diet from a standpoint that the elimination of gender inequality should be a major task in politics.

In this regard, Tamura pointed out that for political parties, the important thing is whether they attach a high value to the need to promote gender equality when they formulate their policies. She said that the JCP at its Congress in 2020 decided to seek a gender equal society and that since then, the whole party has actively conducted discussions on this matter.

Tamura said that in many other countries, how to boost the number of female politicians is discussed as an important electoral system-related issue, and expressed her determination to work hard to have the Diet discuss gender quotas in Japan’s electoral system.

Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan member of the House of Councilors Tsujimoto Kiyomi said that the number of seats won by CDPJ female candidates increased in the Upper House election last year, which changed the whole atmosphere of the party. She expressed her determination to push her party to raise the proportion of women in the party’s Lower House candidate list.

Past related articles:
> Ex-Upper House members’ group calls on political parties to work to send more women to Diet [June 8, 2022]
> JCP publishes its gender-equality policies [October 2, 2021]