Women and Politics in Contemporary Japan [Hardcover]

This book looks at the gendering of the political system in Japan and the effects of that system on gender equality in national-level politics specifically and wider society more generally. It examines the approach taken by the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to issues of gender equality in Japan, and the repercussions of that approach on womens political experiences and representation. This book covers a range of themes including the role of the LDP and other major political parties in constructing the modern Japanese political system, the under-representation of women in Japanese politics, womens experiences in party politics and the gendering of government policies. Using in-depth interviews with women members of the national Diet, the book sheds light on how political women negotiate the male-dominated world of Japanese politics.

Introduction  1. Women, Power and Politics under LDP Rule: Gender Equity Discourses and Practices 1955-1993  2. Post-1993 Political Power Structures and Gender Equity Policies  3. Ambivalent Ambitions  4. The Importance of Women in Politics  5. Negotiating a Masculinised Party Culture  Conclusion: The Failure of Equality and the Possibility of Gender Quotas

Emma Daltonis a Lecturer in the Japanese Studies Research Institute of Kanda University of International Studies, Japan.