The debate over discrimination against women reaches the ruling party in Japan

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, whose board is made up of pure men, has also come under attack. Then Secretary-General Toshiro Nikai suggested that women be admitted to high-level meetings – but only as silent bystanders. The 82-year-old said Tuesday that it is important for female party members to understand the decision-making process, noting that the council will be elected.

The fact that viewers were being denied the right to speak urgently caused further criticism from opposition politicians and residents that the party was unrealistic. It’s just about public relations, said Belinda Wheaton, a sociologist at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. “It is time to ask ourselves why do we trust men over the age of 70 or 80 more than men 40 or 50 or women.”

In the World Economic Forum’s Inequality Index, Japan ranked 121 out of 153 countries in 2020. Japan ranked last among developed countries.

The debate was launched by the chief organizer of the Tokyo Olympic Games, former prime minister Yoshiro Mori, 83. He had said at the organizing committee meeting in early February that women talk a lot. After heavy criticism and despite repeated apologies, he was forced to take off his hat. In talks to his successor, Olympic Minister Seko Hashimoto. The 57-year-old has competed in the Olympic Games seven times.