Japan Press Weekly

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2012 May 30 - June 5 [WOMEN]

Women’s group protests Yamanashi governor’s insulting remarks

The Yamanashi headquarters of the New Japan Women’s Association (Shinfujin) on May 31 lodged a protest in regard to the Yamanashi governor’s remarks referring to unmarried female workers as “incorrigible”.

Yamanashi Governor Yokouchi Masaaki on May 28 met with a marriage counselor at the prefectural office. The governor said, “The ratio of unmarried prefectural workers is terribly high. There is a mountain of single women in their thirties. Nothing can be done about it. They are utterly incorrigible.” His remarks were reported the next day in a local paper, the Yamanashi Nichinichi Shimbun.

In the protest, Yamanashi Shinfujin chair Ishihara Yasuko said, “The governor should admit that his remarks insulted women and should apologize to them. The governor’s duty is improving working conditions of all female workers in the prefecture so that they can get married and bring up their children without anxieties.”

An official of the governor’s secretarial section replied, “What you say is right. I promise to convey your demand to the governor.”

Japanese Communist Party member of the prefectural assembly Kogoshi Tomoko also participated in the representations.