Japan Press Weekly

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2019 February 6 - 12 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Japanese NGOs pushing gov't to end gender inequality

Representatives of Japanese women's organizations and lawmakers of opposition parties, including the Japanese Communist Party, on February 8 attended a rally held with a former member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) as a guest.

JCP member of the Lower House Motomura Nobuko said, "The JCP in cooperation with a wide range of people will do its utmost to work to achieve gender equality."

In the event hosted by a Japanese NGO network called JNNC, former member of the UN CEDAW Ruth Halperin-Kaddari spoke about the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and said that this Protocol enhances the effectiveness of the Convention.

She also said that CEDAW members based on the Optional Protocol to the Convention visit signatory nations to make factual findings on abuses of women’s human rights, requesting that Japanese civil society keep pushing the Japanese government to ratify this Protocol.

Kaddari then underscored the important role of NGOs which is, in parallel with the effort to have their governments fully implement the Convention, to report to the United Nations what governments of the State Parties intend to withhold.

The Convention requires State Parties to take necessary measures to achieve gender equality in all areas of society. Japan ratified this treaty in 1985. However, the CEDAW, the UN authority examining each participating country's progress, has issued a recommendation urging the Japanese government to ratify the Protocol.

In addition to JCP Motomura, JCP members of the House of Represenatives Takahashi Chizuko and Hatano Kimie as well as several other Dietmembers from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Social Democratic Party, and independent groups took part in the rally.

Past related articles:
> Cross-party lawmakers and NGOs rally for early ratification of optional protocol for gender equality [May 25, 2017]
> Women’s NGOs urge gov’t to implement recommendation by UN panel on elimination of gender discrimination [March 9 & 11, 2016]