Govt. To Urge Parties To Add Female Candidates
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu says the government will urge political parties to increase female candidates in elections.
Matsuno referred to Sunday's Lower House election while speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
Of the 465 candidates who won seats, only 45, or 9.7 percent, were women. That's two less than the previous election four years ago.
Matsuno said the level of female representation is low compared with the global standard. He said it's important to expand women's participation in politics in order to better reflect public opinions in policies, given that about 52 percent of the country's voters are female.
He said the government will urge parties to step up efforts to raise the ratio of female candidates by setting numerical targets or through other means.
He added that the government will support them by taking steps such as conducting surveys, visualizing parties' efforts, and providing anti-harassment training materials for assemblies.