80 years on, gender gap persists in Japanese politics

South China Morning PostEN 1 min read 100% complete by KyodoMarch 8, 2026 at 04:00 AM

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A recent study released on International Women's Day reveals that gender inequality persists in Japanese politics, 80 years after women gained the right to vote. The research, which assessed all 47 prefectures, found limited progress since 2024, with some areas even declining in their equality index scores. Tokyo ranked highest for the fifth year with a score of 0.386, due to a higher percentage of women in local assemblies, followed by Yamagata and Osaka. The February House of Representatives election saw a decrease in female representation, with women accounting for only 14.6% of elected candidates. Sixteen prefectures showed minimal improvement in their index scores compared to the previous year, highlighting the slow pace of change in achieving gender equality in Japanese politics.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

House of Representatives election 50% Yamagata 50% Osaka 50% Chiba 50% Takaichi ×260% Kanagawa ×260% Tokyo ×270% Japan ×390%

Keywords

gender equality 100% japanese politics 90% gender gap 80% index scores 70% women in politics 70% prefectures 60% election 50% house of representatives 40%

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Negative

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South China Morning Post

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90%

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Japan

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gender equality japanese politics gender gap index scores women in politics prefectures election house of representatives

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