Event

Gender equality remains a challenge in Japan, particularly within the political sphere. The 2018 Gender Parity Law, which mandates that political parties aim to field an equal number of men and women candidates, was a significant step toward addressing this imbalance. However, questions remain about its effectiveness. In this talk, I examine the institutional barriers that continue to hinder women's participation in politics, as well as the measures being implemented to overcome these challenges. I also explore the recent cultural shift—especially among Generation X—toward greater gender equality, and what this could mean for the future of Japan's democracy.

Mari Miura is a professor of Political Science, and a faculty of Law, in Sophia University. She is also a co-founder of the “Academy for Gender Parity,” which provides training programs for young women to run for office. She received her Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley. She is academic advisor of the all-partisan parliamentary group to promote women’s participation in politics.

Author of Welfare Through Work: Conservative Ideas, Partisan Dynamics, and Social Protection in Japan (Cornell University Press, 2012), Farewell to Male-dominated Politics (in Japanese, Iwanami Shinsho, 2023, Ishibashi Tanzan Award, Hiratsuka Raicho Award), Making Our Voices Heard—Revival of Representative Democracy (in Japanese, Iwanami Shoten, 2015), editor of Japan’s Women Representatives (in Japanese, Asahi Shimbun Shuppansha, 2016), co-editor of Gender Quotas in Comparative Perspectives: Understanding the Increase in Women Representatives (in Japanese, Akashi Shoten, 2014). She received the Wilma Rule Award (IPSA Award for the Best Research on Gender and Politics) in 2018 and was decorated the Knight of the Order of Merit from the French government in 2021.