Overcrowded trains and a lack of legal consequences for groping in Japan have led to a rise in "chikan," or groping, which has been linked to a mental condition and compounded by cultural stigmas. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/04/13/japan/issue-of-chikan-groping/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sexualharassment #women039sissues #trains #mentalhealth
Japanese firms have long lagged behind their Western peers on gender equality. A U.S. crackdown on diversity may give them a chance to shine. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/04/11/companies/japan-firms-gender-equality/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #investments #corporategovernance #stocks #women039sissues
With Islamabad having announced at the start of March that 800,000 Afghan Citizen Cards would be canceled, Afghans are fearing deportation from Pakistan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/07/asia-pacific/politics/afghans-pakistan-deportation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #afghanistan #pakistan #taliban #humanrights #refugees #immigration #migration #women039sissues
Women's rights are facing a global backlash after decades of progress, says Hiroko Hashimoto, head of the U.N. Women Japan National Committee. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/06/japan/society/un-group-japan-chief-womens-rights/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #women039sissues #un #donaldtrump
Tomoko Yoshino has gone from the shop floor to fighting for millions and rubbing shoulders with business leaders as the first female leader of Rengo. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/04/06/women-work-tomoko-yoshino/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #women039sissues #tomokoyoshino #rengo
In the 1970s, a group of female students at Tohoku University began demanding the university provide free menstrual products in restrooms. They were met with ridicule. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/31/japan/society/japan-gender-equality-movement-menstruation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #women039sissues #menstruation #health #students #tohokuuniversity
Until the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, women were able to freely sell their hair to be made into wigs, bringing in crucial cash. But a ban last year has forced women to brave punishment by covertly trading hair. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/25/world/society/afghan-women-taliban-hair-trade/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #society #afghanistan #women039sissues #humanrights #taliban
Enhancing women's participation in society will be an important theme of the 2025 Osaka Expo, which starts in mid-April. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/25/japan/osaka-expo-women-empowerment/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #2025osakaexpo #women039sissues #osaka
Years of extreme droughts in the Amazon rainforest that studies have attributed to climate change have made river journeys to and from remote communities perilous. Pregnant women are bearing the brunt of the effects. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/03/21/amazon-midwives-drought/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #brazil #amazon #poverty #drought #climatechange #parenthood #women039sissues #children #pregnancy
Pregnant women and mothers with infants in the Gaza Strip are relying on health handbooks promoted by Japan for vital information on child care. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/21/japan/society/gaza-japan-backed-maternal-handbooks/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #pregnancy #aid #gaza #israelhamaswar #palestinians #health #children #women039sissues
In December 2023, Natsue Kondo became the first woman promoted to top leadership at any of the three branches of the Self-Defense Forces. More than a year remains the only female officer holding any of the top ranks. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/21/japan/marine-self-defense-force-female-vice-admiral/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #msdf #sdf #women039sissues
The National Police Agency is to abolish skirts in uniforms worn by community police officers at police boxes and other locations. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/21/japan/japan-police-abolish-skirts/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #japanesepolice #women039sissues #heatwaves
Women remain underrepresented in the Japanese news media industry, where the tradition of employees working long hours runs up against the tendency for female journalists to still bear the main burden of child care. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/20/japan/women-underrepresented-news-industry/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #women039sissues #media
Unfortunately, according to a working paper for the Federal Reserve of St. Louis, the rise of dating apps has not made it any easier to find a soulmate. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/03/17/world/marriage-market/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #marriage #relationships #onlinedating #women039sissues #datingapps
A Jiji Press survey has revealed that 311, or 44%, of all 705 members of parliament think the country should introduce a selective dual surname system for married couples. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/08/japan/politics/japanese-lawmakers-back-dual-surname-system/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #women039sissues #diet #surveys #marriage #names #men039sissues #familyregistry #familylaw
Cinema isn't only about what stories are told, but who tells them. Overcoming severe underrepresentation, women are reshaping the film industry and cultural narratives. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/03/06/japan/women-gender-equality-cinema-japan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #women #women039sissues #film #media #tiff #japanesefilm #japaneseeconomy #tech #ai
The share of women among Japan's lawmakers was 15.7% as of last December, the lowest among the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations, an Inter-Parliamentary Union report has said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/07/japan/politics/share-of-female-lawmakers/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #women039sissues #surveys #diet
Japan's government has approved a bill to tighten regulations on host clubs, aiming to curb abusive practices that force female patrons into prostitution to pay off excessive debts. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/07/japan/crime-legal/host-clubs-bill/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #hostbars #prostitution #women039sissues #japanesepolice #gangs #organizedcrime
"Kojien," one of most iconic Japanese dictionaries, considers it a duty to record and accurately explain the meaning and background of words and phrases, even if they may be considered misogynistic. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/07/japan/society/kojien-dictionary-misogynistic-words/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #women039sissues #vocabulary #kojien #discrimination
The low-dose contraceptive pill can do more than help prevent pregnancies — it can help alleviate symptoms associated with heavy menstruation and diseases such as endometriosis. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/07/japan/science-health/pills-covered-by-insurance/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #women039sissues #health #menstruation #pharmaceuticals #doctors
