Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Praise Japan for Criminalising Non-Consensual Sexual Intercourse, Ask about Women’s Representation in Public and Private Bodies and the Single Surname System for Married Couples
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today considered the ninth periodic report of Japan, with Committee Experts praising the State’s revision of legislation on rape to criminalise non-consensual sexual intercourse, and raising questions about women’s representation in public and private bodies and the single surname system for married couples.
Bandana Rana, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Japan, commended the State party for redefining rape as “non-consensual sexual intercourse” and for raising the age of consent to 16.
Ms. Rana noted, however, that Japan had been ranked one hundred and twenty-fifth globally in terms of gender equality, due to, among other factors, the low level of women’s representation in government and deeply rooted gender stereotypes that hampered women’s standing. The State party needed to address these issues, she said.
Several Committee Experts raised concerns regarding women’s representation in public and private bodies. One Expert noted that the number of women representatives in government had decreased recently, and that only around 0.8 per cent of company chief executive officers and 7.1 per cent of senior diplomats were women. How would the State party improve female representation?
A Committee Expert noted that 94.7 per cent of women adopted their husband’s surname under the current single surname system. This had negative impacts on their identity and employment. What were the prospects of reforming the law to allow for a dual surname system?
Introducing the report, Keiko Okada, Director-General, Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office of Japan and head of the delegation, said revisions to the Penal Code in 2023 clarified that non-consensual sexual acts constituted crimes regardless of marital status and raised the age of sexual consent from 13 to 16. Multiple other laws addressing sexual violence, including against children, had also been enacted.
Ms. Okada said the Government aimed to increase the percentage of women among candidates for the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors to 35 per cent by 2025. The Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace made it obligatory for national and local governments to set targets for women’s representation and make information about women’s participation publicly available.
The delegation added that companies with 101 employees or more were obliged to establish action plans on promoting women’s empowerment and publicise information regarding women's active engagement in their business, and companies with 301 or more regularly employees were also required to make information about the gender wage gap publicly available. The Government was considering extending the latter obligation to companies with 101 employees or more. There had been a gradual increase in women’s representation in managerial positions in private companies in recent years.
Ms. Okada also said public opinion in Japan varied greatly regarding separate surnames for married couples. The Government would proceed with deliberations on the introduction of such a system while closely monitoring public opinion. It was raising awareness that former surnames could be recorded alongside formal surnames on many official documents.
In closing remarks, Ms. Okada said the delegation had engaged sincerely in the dialogue. It hoped that the responses it had provided would be useful for the Committee.
Ana Peláez Narváez, Committee Chair, in her concluding remarks, said that the dialogue had provided further insight into the situation of women in Japan. The Committee encouraged the State party to undertake further efforts to implement the Convention more comprehensively for the benefit of all women and girls in the State.
The delegation of Japan consisted of representatives from the Cabinet Office; Cabinet Secretariat; National Police Agency; Children and Families Agency; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare; and the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue concluding observations on the report of Japan at the end of its eighty-ninth session on 25 October. All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. Meeting summary releases can be found here. The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.
The Committee will next meet in public at 10 a.m. on Friday, 18 October to consider the ninth periodic report of Cuba (CEDAW/C/CUB/9).
Report
The Committee has before it the ninth periodic report of Japan (CEDAW/C/JPN/9).
Presentation of Report
KEIKO OKADA, Director-General, Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office of Japan and head of the delegation, said that for nearly 40 years since ratifying the Convention in 1985, Japan had committed itself to implementing gender equality measures with the aim of eliminating discrimination against women both in its legislation and in practice.
Following Committee recommendations, a bill to revise the Civil Code to make the minimum legal age of marriage the same for men and women was enacted in 2018 and took effect in 2022. Another revision to the Civil Code enacted in 2022 abolished the waiting period for women to remarry after divorce. This took effect in 2024.
Public opinion in Japan varied greatly regarding separate surnames for married couples. The Fifth Basic Plan for Gender Equality stated that the Government would proceed with deliberations on the introduction of such a system while closely monitoring public opinion and developments in the National Diet’s discussion on the matter. The Government was committed to expanding the use of former surnames; it was raising awareness that former surnames could be recorded alongside formal surnames on many official documents.
The Hate Speech Elimination Act, the Act on the Promotion of the Elimination of Buraku Discrimination, and the Act on Promoting Measures for the Ainu People all incorporated the principle that discrimination was unacceptable, while the Basic Plan on Human Rights Education and Human Rights Awareness-Raising promoted human rights education and awareness-raising, identifying issues concerning women, the Buraku community, the Ainu people, and foreign nationals. The content of the Plan was now being reviewed to address emerging issues.
Revisions to the Penal Code in 2023 introduced crimes of “penetrative sexual assault” and “indecent assault”; clarified that non-consensual sexual acts constituted crimes regardless of marital status; raised the age of sexual consent from 13 to 16; criminalised requesting or engaging in a meeting with a child aged 15 or under for the purpose of an indecent act; and extended the statute of limitations for prosecuting sexual crimes. Multiple other laws had also been enacted, including acts establishing the crime of non-consensual recording of a sexual image, preventing harm as a result of performing in sexually explicit videos, and stipulating measures to prevent sexual violence against children in schools and childcare providers. As of 2023, courts were able to issue orders banning spouses, including same-sex spouses, from approaching victims not only in cases of physical violence, but also in cases of non-physical acts causing psychological harm. A 2022 law also stipulated comprehensive provision of a wide range of assistance for women victims of violence.
Following 2019 legislation, a lump-sum payment of 3.2 million yen was provided to people with disabilities who underwent forced surgeries or other sterilization procedures. As of 2024, 1,129 claimants, including 817 women, had been approved for receipt of such payments. In July 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that the provisions of the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Act relating to sterilization surgeries were unconstitutional. The Prime Minister subsequently apologised on behalf of the Government for its role in enforcing the Act. In September 2024, a “Basic Agreement” was signed with stakeholders aiming for a comprehensive solution to the issues of the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Act. The Diet also passed and enacted a bill on payment of compensation to persons who underwent eugenic surgery in October 2024.
Following another Committee recommendation, Japan enacted and enforced domestic legislation to give effect to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its supplementary protocol on trafficking in persons in 2017.
Employers were obliged to take measures to combat sexual harassment in 1997 and harassment related to pregnancy and childbirth in 2016. The Government aimed to increase the percentage of women among candidates for the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors to 35 per cent by 2025. The Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace made it obligatory for national and local governments to set targets for women’s representation, formulate action plans comprising measures to achieve their targets, and make information about women’s participation publicly available.
The Government aimed to ensure that by 2031, 40 per cent of single-parent households received child support, and that 70 per cent of single-parent households that had a child support agreement received it. Revisions to the Civil Code in May 2024 introduced a statutory child support system that enabled a parent who lived with a child to claim child support from the parent who lived separately. The revisions updated provisions relating to child support, parental responsibility and custody, making it possible for both parents to be designated as having parental responsibility following divorce. Sole parental responsibility was always mandated in potential cases of child abuse, domestic violence, or other potential harm.
Following the Committee’s recommendations, the Government had revised legislation to make it obligatory for employers with 301 or more regularly employed workers to make information about the gender wage gap publicly available. The Government also offered a consultation service to help companies analyse the factors and reduce gender wage gaps and was promoting the use of digital tools to help companies calculate those gaps. Local and national governments were also required to make information on gender wage gaps for all their agencies publicly available.
The Act on Childcare and Family Care Leave was revised in June 2021, creating a parental leave system that allowed fathers to take leave twice, up to a maximum total of four weeks, within the first eight weeks after the birth of their child. Employers with more than 300 employees were required to make uptake rates of parental leave publicly available. Employers were also required to provide flexible ways of working for workers with preschool age children. Legislation was revised to allow employees to receive 80 per cent of their pre-leave pay for 28 days when both parents took childcare leave for 14 days or more.
ATSUYUKI OIKE, Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said Japan had successfully formulated three national action plans on women, peace and security and was eagerly ensuring cross-cutting intergovernmental coordination. Bodies promoting women, peace and security were established within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence. Japan was currently implementing 57 projects across the globe, contributing to promoting the women, peace and security agenda in Asia, Africa and Latin America. In 2025, Japan would assume the role of Co-Chair of the Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network; it would make every effort to advance the agenda internationally.
Questions by Committee Experts
BANDANA RANA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Japan, commended Japan for its efforts since its last report. Ms. Rana said that Hiroko Akizuki, the Committee’s Vice-Chair, made valuable contributions to the Committee. Japan was also congratulated for being nominated as the Co-Chair of the Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network for 2025.
Challenges remained for fully achieving gender equality. Japan had been ranked one hundred and twenty fifth globally in terms of gender equality, due to, among other factors, the low level of women’s representation in government and deeply rooted gender stereotypes that hampered women’s standing. The State party needed to address these issues.
Ms. Rana commended the State party for redefining rape as “non-consensual sexual intercourse” and for raising the age of consent to 16. There was a lack of enforcement of gender equality legislation, leading gender gaps and discriminatory practices to persist. What legal complaint mechanisms were in place for women who faced discrimination and how was the State party raising awareness of these mechanisms?
Ms. Rana commended the State party on adopting several laws that addressed discrimination. There was no definition of intersectional discrimination in legislation. Would the State party adopt such a definition? What was the status of efforts to ratify the Convention’s Optional Protocol?
Japan’s Basic Plan for Gender Equality lacked concrete commitments to address structural barriers for women. How would the State party address the shortcomings in the Plan?
International treaties had the same effect as domestic legislation in Japan, but courts reportedly rarely applied the Convention. There were commendable training programmes for judges on the Convention. How would the State party further promote implementation and awareness of the Convention?
A Committee Expert commended Japan on its stand on lethal autonomous weapons systems, which was in line with the Committee’s general recommendation 30.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that under the Constitution and domestic laws, gender-based discrimination was prohibited. The Fifth Basic Plan on Gender Equality called on the Government to raise awareness about remedy mechanisms available to the public. The plan would run until the end of 2025. Consideration of the next plan would begin at a later stage.
Japan was taking into consideration various issues, including organisational frameworks, in its deliberations on ratifying the Optional Protocol, and would seriously consider early conclusion.
All international human rights treaties ratified by Japan had the same effect as domestic law, and were referred to when necessary in courts. The Convention attached rights and obligations to the State party, not individuals. The Legal Training and Research Institute trained judges each year on human rights issues. Prosecutors also received training on international conventions.
Non-governmental organizations had contributed to the State party’s policies on gender; women, peace and security; and to drafting the State party’s report.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said Japan had created shelters and strong policies to address human trafficking. There were problems in the State party’s measures to address trafficking, which had not changed in the last five years and did not cover the whole country. What was the role of women in the peacebuilding process in Japan? Had the Diet implemented gender budgeting? Would the State party develop an independent national human rights institute for the benefit of women? Japan needed to provide increased support for non-governmental organizations.
Another Committee Expert acknowledged legislative measures to promote women’s participation in public life. The Basic Plan for Gender Equality set targets to increase women’s representation in political bodies, disaster management bodies, and leadership positions to 30 per cent. Other countries of similar economic capacity were seeking to achieve parity, so it was disappointing that these modest targets had not been reached. What progress had been made in achieving the targets in the Plan? Would the State party adopt temporary special measures to reduce the fee of three million yen required for running for political office? Were there temporary special measures targeting Buraku women and women with disabilities? The Expert congratulated Nihon Hidankyo on receiving the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize and asked how the Government was supporting women hibakusha and women and girls affected by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Japan had 10 women ambassadors and six general counsels who were women. Forty per cent of Foreign Ministry employees were women, and this percentage was expected to increase.
The Government of the United States had announced preventative measures to address sexual abuse by United States forces in Okinawa, including the establishment of a new forum between the military and residents of Okinawa. Japan had primary jurisdiction over certain cases of offences committed by United States military personnel.
National and regional legal affairs bureaus had staff members that received complaints of human rights violations from women. There had been a significant increase in the budget promoting gender equality in recent years. The Government’s 2024 budget included investments of 10.6 trillion yen in gender policies.
The Government was working to promote the participation of women with disabilities in decision-making processes. The Government had a policy committee for persons with disabilities; 40 per cent of its members were women with disabilities. The central government mandated local governments to formulate plans supporting persons with disabilities.
The Convention did not apply to the period of the Second World War. However, Japan had legally concluded all claims and property issues related to former comfort women. With the cooperation of the people and the Government of Japan, a fund was established for providing atonement money for former comfort women, who were also sent letters of apology and remorse by the Prime Minister. Meetings had been conducted with former comfort women. The Government had also significantly invested in a healing foundation for former comfort women and the foundation provided financial support to 35 out of the 47 former comfort women who were alive at the time of the agreement, and to bereaved families of 65 out of the 199 former comfort women who were decreased at the time.
Some women who had evacuated Fukushima after the nuclear incident had returned. Experts monitored the health impact of radioactive material and were providing accurate information on risks to residents.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said the State party was promoting awareness of unconscious gender bias, but patriarchal attitudes continued to be present in various aspects of life. How did the Government measure the effectiveness of awareness activities? Would the State party consider policies to counter gender stereotyping at all levels, which appeared to be normalised in society? How would the State party prohibit discriminatory remarks by politicians?
How could rape be prosecuted without accusation from victims? There were reports that perpetrators of offences by United States military personnel in Okinawa against women were not brought to justice. How was the State party addressing this? Could the State party provide data on arrests, prosecutions and convictions?
Resource allocations to enforce prevention of spousal violence were reportedly insufficient. Would the State party consider revising legislation to address coercion and psychological violence? How was it building the capacity of the judiciary related to their understanding of gender-based violence? How were shelters for victims of domestic violence being funded? Was there a level of awareness amongst women regarding new legislation on non-consensual sex and their right to refuse sex?
BANDANA RANA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Japan, commended the 2014 national action plan to combat trafficking in persons and the establishment of the council to combat trafficking in persons. What measures were in place to improve identification mechanisms for victims of trafficking? Current legal provisions did not fully encompass non-coercive forms of trafficking. How would this be addressed? Labour trafficking remained significantly underreported. How would the State party secure convictions in trafficking cases and enhance cross-border cooperation to ensure the safe return of trafficking victims? Victimisation of girls persisted in the online sphere through child prostitution and pornography. How was this being addressed? Did programmes to prevent trafficking reach rural areas? What measures were in place to prevent the trafficking of young women and girls forced into prostitution by economic hardship?
The Committee acknowledged efforts made by Japan to address the comfort women issue. These steps needed to be sustained and enhanced to ensure the rights of victims to truth, justice and reparation.
ANA PELÁEZ NARVÁEZ, Committee Chair, asked how legislation addressed sexual acts against persons who could not give consent, such as children and persons with disabilities.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that the Cabinet Office had conducted surveys in 2021 and 2022 that revealed unconscious bias related to gender. It had since implemented various measures to promote awareness of unconscious bias in government and society. The Act on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field required political bodies to implement training to prevent sexual harassment against persons holding public office. Individual cases of harassment were handled according to the law.
In 2023, the Penal Code was revised to specify that non-consensual sexual relations were prohibited in all situations. Information had been posted on Government websites, and leaflets and posters had been created, informing women and girls about the new legislation. Lectures on the new law had also been provided for staff at one-stop support centres. Persons who had sex with persons who could not give consent due to a disability or other factors were punished under the law.
A victim-centred approach was taken to addressing the issue of sexual abuse by military personnel against women in Okinawa. Suspects were held by the military until the Japanese Government indicted them. The Government was committed to holding all perpetrators accountable. In 2023, there were three arrests of United States forces for intercourse with women without consent and one arrest for indecency against women without consent.
The Act against Sexual Violence was amended in 2023 to address threats of violence and extend restraining orders for perpetrators of domestic violence. The Legal Training and Research Institute had conducted training on domestic violence for family court clecks and investigators. Courts could order prohibition of repeated phone calls to victims. Forty-seven publicly run shelters were provided for victims of sexual and gender-based violence, and the Government also supported privately run shelters. Livelihood support was provided for victims, as was education support for their children. In 2023, 1,100 protection orders were issued by courts.
In 2022, the Government introduced an action plan on trafficking in persons, which promoted the identification and support of victims. Since 2002, Japan had been attending the meetings of the Bali Process and, since 2005, had been contributing funds to the International Organization for Migration to promote awareness of trafficking and voluntary returns of victims. Japan had supported the return of over 300 victims. The Japan Coast Guard conducted inspections of vessels and took protective measures if there were suspicions of trafficking. The Immigration Services Agency investigated whether asylum seekers were victims of trafficking. Residence visas could be issued to persons found to be victims. The Agency provided consultations and information on trafficking in persons in multiple languages, and victim protection services through regional contact points. The police had also been trained in identifying victims of trafficking.
Legislation had been enacted to address online child pornography and child prostitution. Persons who distributed child pornography were prosecuted under this legislation.
Japan aimed to lead global efforts to prevent gender-based violence. It was providing financial contributions to organizations supporting women affected by conflict and was conducting awareness raising campaigns to prevent such incidents.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert commended efforts to remove barriers to female political representation in Japan. It was concerning that the number of women representatives in government had decreased recently. Only around 0.8 per cent of company chief executive officers were women, there were only two female justices in the Supreme Court, and only 7.1 per cent of senior diplomats were women. How would the State party improve female representation in these areas? Would it implement penalties or incentives to improve female representation?
Another Committee Expert said that mixed nationality couples and single foreign parents had issues with passing nationality onto their children. Did children of mixed couples obtain Japanese nationality upon birth, regardless of the marital status of their parents? Could more detail be provided about changes in the nationality law in 2024? Children of foreign nationals born in Japan were not granted Japanese nationality and foreign residents were not allowed the right to vote. Could they be appointed to government positions? Was there a complaints mechanism for denied nationality applications?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Basic Act for Gender Equality called on the Government to pursue affirmative actions to promote gender equality. It set numerical targets for women’s representation and measures were developed to achieve those targets. Numerical targets had been set for the representation of women in private sector companies. More than half of new employees of the Foreign Ministry were women. Currently, the Supreme Court had three women judges, meaning 20 per cent of its judges were women. The Government was exerting efforts to increase the representation of women in the judiciary. Companies with 101 employees or more were obliged to establish action plans on promoting women’s empowerment and publicise information regarding women's active engagement in their business, and companies with 301 or more regularly employees were also required to make information about the gender wage gap publicly available. The Government was considering extending the latter obligation to companies with 101 employees or more. There had been a gradual increase in women’s representation in managerial positions in private companies in recent years.
The 2024 revision to the law on nationality was enacted to ensure that nationality was not granted when false claims were made by applicants. There was no specific complaint mechanism related to obtaining nationality. Nationality could be obtained through naturalisation and other means.
Questions by Committee Experts
BANDANA RANA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Japan, said that Japan was one of the world’s largest donors to international efforts promoting gender equality. How would the State party promote women’s participation in peace negotiations?
Another Committee Expert said horizontal segregation persisted in Japan. The share of female students in physical science education was 15 per cent, and around 10 per cent in engineering education. Women professors made up around 17 per cent of professors in universities. Would the State party introduce temporary special measures to address these issues? Why were many female lecturers hired in temporary positions? How was the State party encouraging women to become doctors?
How did the State party ensure standardisation and the accuracy of information in history textbooks? How many male teachers were there in primary schools? What measures were in place to improve the working environment for women teachers? Did teacher training address verbal and psychological violence? Would the State party adopt Convention standards related to sexual education? What measures were in place to address bullying against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children and children from non-conventional families?
A Committee Expert said the Penal Code had recently been revised to address online insults; how many cases of online insults had since been prosecuted? Marginalised women experienced disproportionate levels of workplace harassment. The gender wage gap was wide, at 23 per cent, and there was a large proportion of unemployed work-age women. What measures were in place to address these issues? Most women worked in irregular employment positions; would the State party consider requiring companies to report on the percentage of women in such positions? What protections were available for workplace harassment of whistle-blowers? The Convention needed to be upheld in Supreme Court deliberations regarding selective surnames for women.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said that in 2023, Japan positioned gender mainstreaming as an important part of official development assistance. It was promoting women’s empowerment through foreign policies. Wide-ranging discussions were held on the empowerment of women at the G-7 as a part of gender mainstreaming efforts. Women were encouraged to participate in humanitarian aid activities.
Under the fifth Basic Plan for Gender Equality, there was a target for increasing women and girls’ participation in science, technology, engineering and maths education. Women’s participation in this education had gone up this year. The Government was also promoting diversity among university students and supporting women studying science, technology, engineering and maths subjects through scholarships. It also awarded universities that took positive measures to enrol women students and was distributing increased funding for universities that employed high percentages of women professors and women in leadership positions. The Government was supporting women to return to work in research after childbirth. It found that there had been discrimination against women in three medical schools’ entrance examinations. Measures had been taken to ban such discrimination and prevent its recurrence.
The Government had national curriculum standards that textbook publishers needed to adhere to. School textbooks promoted harmony between students and provided education on gender equality. In the authorisation process, academic and other experts assessed draft textbooks created by private sector companies to ensure that they explicitly promoted gender equality.
Overtime payment was not provided to teachers, but teachers’ salaries were adjusted based on the amount of work they conducted. The Government was trying to reduce working hours for teachers by hiring additional teachers and implementing other measures. Teacher training covered respect for human rights and support for students of diverse backgrounds.
Bullying, including of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children, was not tolerated in schools. Psychological health surveys and individual support teams were employed to respond quickly to school bullying, and guidelines were being revised to strengthen responses to bullying. A policy to address deep-fake pornography was included in the Basic Plan for Gender Equality.
Employers were not allowed to select employees based on weight, height or physical strength, or based on their ethnic background or belief. Each public and private entity had a quota for employment of persons with disabilities. This had led to increased employment of such persons. A workplace diversity promotion project was launched in 2019. Companies that actively employed women were certified and provided with tax incentives. The Government, over the next three years, would introduce measures to support women’s employment in the digital field. There were 73 prosecutions involving insults in 2023.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said the Equal Employment Act did not recognise discrimination based on pregnancy, rural background or age. Would the State party amend this legislation? More than 50 per cent of female workers were in temporary positions. This needed to be addressed. The 2025 World Expo was an opportunity to showcase that the future of work was female.
Another Committee Expert asked about the slow pace of dismantling single-sex schools, which validated differences between the sexes. What timeline did the Government have to achieve this? What reparation had been provided to women who had been denied admission to medical schools due to discrimination? How would the State party address negative comments by authorities related to reproductive education?
A Committee Expert said a 2023 Government pilot had made emergency contraception pills available in pharmacies. Would this pilot project be made permanent, and would contraception be provided to persons under 18? Women in Japan had to get consent from spouses to seek abortions. There were even cases where single women had had to seek permission from partners to obtain abortions. Would the Government remove this requirement? Only around three per cent of clinics offered abortion pills that were as expensive as other abortion procedures and needed to be taken in front of medical staff. What measures were in place to increase access to abortion pills and to allow women to take these pills at home?
The Committee commended the Government for apologising for the sterilisation of persons with disabilities conducted under the former eugenic protection law and for committing to provide compensation to victims. What reproductive rights did women with disabilities currently have? What progress had been made in reducing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water supplies, which were harmful for pregnant women?
Another Committee Expert commended the revised Pension Act and support provided for start-ups created by women. Around 15 per cent of women in Japan lived below the poverty line. Women in part-time work lacked adequate safety nets to keep them from poverty. What measures were in place to further extend women’s access to employment opportunities and low-interest credit? How would the State party address the gender digital skills gap? Were there financial literacy programmes for women in rural areas? What percentage of the social security budget was devoted to older women, women with disabilities, foreign students and rural women workers? Had the State party considered reforms that would establish guaranteed pensions for all individuals and family benefits for women with children classified as “illegitimate”? How was the State party promoting women’s participation in sports and cultural programmes?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Government would continue to consider expanding the scope of legislation on indirect discrimination in recruitment, considering societal attitudes. Japan’s efforts to promote women’s empowerment would be showcased at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.
Japan had no plans to dismantle single-sex schools. Schools and boards of education made decisions related to single-sex education in individual schools. Sexual and reproductive education called on students to respect the opposite gender and to make informed decisions regarding sexual activities.
A trial was being conducted on the sale of emergency contraception pills at pharmacies and a research project on the provision of the abortion pill at medical clinics had been concluded this year. The Government would analyse their results. Male spouses needed to permit pregnant women to seek abortions, except in cases of domestic abuse or for unmarried mothers. The Government would deepen social discussions on this issue.
The Government had developed a plan for promoting female digital talent; it was expanding opportunities for female high school and university students to receive education on programming. The Government provided loans to female entrepreneurs who had difficulties obtaining funds and was collecting statistics on the number of start-ups created by women. Seminars had been conducted to promote capacity building for women entrepreneurs.
In 2022, the Government published cross-sectoral guidelines on business and human rights. It would continue to study the possibility of future laws on human rights due diligence.
The average monthly pension as of 2022 was 58,000 yen for men and 54,000 yen for women. There was no gender gap in the system itself; the difference was due to gaps in work style between men and women. Japan had a universal pension system. The Government would expand the scope of employees qualified to receive pensions and would provide additional support to elderly women recipients of pensions.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert asked about the timeline for the trial of emergency contraception, and asked whether the Government would change legislation to remove the requirement for people who wished to change genders to be sterilised. It was extraordinary that women in Japan needed to get permission from spouses to obtain abortions, except in cases of divorce, domestic violence or death of spouses. Would the State party revise this?
Another Committee Expert asked about the number of female beneficiaries of financial loans. How would the State party provide pension coverage for all vulnerable groups, including women not in employment, education or training?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said it was currently difficult to indicate a timeline for the trial of emergency contraception, but the Government would continue to consider this.
The poverty rate was higher for females than for males. To address this, a supplementary pension benefit was provided for low-income households.
The Government provided various sporting opportunities for women and was promoting women’s participation in governance of sporting organizations. A plan had been adopted that promoted women’s participation in cultural activities.
Questions by Committee Experts
BANDANA RANA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for Japan, commended plans to support land ownership for rural women. Rural women lacked access to adequate social benefits such as maternity and sickness leave. How would the State party address this?
Ms. Rana welcomed inspections that had led to the detection of abuse of migrant technical intern trainees. However, migrant women workers continued to face discrimination, threats of repatriation abroad, and poor working conditions. How was the State party addressing these issues? What measures were in place to address barriers to accessing health care for women with disabilities?
Women’s representation in climate change decision making was low. How would the Government address this, and ensure that extraterritorial investments protected women’s rights? How would the State party take responsibility for monitoring nuclear standards with regards to the dumping of nuclear treatment water into the ocean?
Another Committee Expert said that 94.7 per cent of women adopted their husband’s surname under the current single surname system. This had negative impacts on their identity and employment. What were the prospects of reforming the law to allow for a dual surname system?
What measures were in place to address the impact of discriminatory practices against children born out of wedlock? There were barriers to women accessing assets in divorce settlements. How was the Government working to train the judiciary on these issues so that justice could be imparted with a gender perspective? How would it protect victims of family violence after the introduction of joint custody decisions? Were there plans to increase court resources for this purpose? Would the State party allow for adoption by same-sex couples? The Committee suggested that the State party consider establishing equality between men and women regarding the appointment of female emperors.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said foreigners could be appointed to certain public servant positions, but not all positions. In 2022, several tens of thousands of inspections were carried out under the technical intern trainee law, which had identified human rights violations. Employers that violated migrant workers’ rights were sanctioned.
The Ministry of Environment was actively employing women. Discharged water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was not contaminated with nuclear material. The International Atomic Energy Agency had determined that the radiation impact of this water was negligible and that the disposal of this water into the ocean was safe.
Opinions were mixed regarding selective separate surnames. The Government was offering information to deepen debate on the topic in the public and in the Diet.
The best interests of the child needed to be considered regarding visitation rights for parents. The revision of legislation on visitation did not harm the rights of children. In 2024, the Civil Code was revised to promote the separation of property after divorces. The period in which claims could be made to family courts were extended from two to five years. The revised law promoted the fair division of property.
It was not appropriate for the Committee to raise the issue of revising the system of succession to the Imperial Throne of Japan.
Questions by Committee Experts
ANA PELÁEZ NARVÁEZ, Committee Chair, said that the Committee had capacity to raise relevant questions regarding equality between men and women, including regarding succession to the throne. This was a topic that was directly relevant to the Convention.
A Committee Expert welcomed that the Government had removed a policy offering grants to women to move away from Tokyo to get married. What was the level of engagement of women in policy making such as this?
Another Committee Expert asked about efforts to ensure that family law included a gender perspective.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Japanese Government had set targets regarding the percentage of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water. There had been no reports of health issues related to levels of these substances, but monitoring of water resources would continue to ensure the safety of the public.
The Government would continue to support the capacity building efforts of family courts. It was providing information about women’s ability to use maiden names to apply for certain State services.
Concluding Remarks
KEIKO OKADA, Director-General, Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office of Japan and head of the delegation, said the delegation had engaged sincerely in the dialogue. It hoped that the responses it had provided would be useful for the Committee.
ANA PELÁEZ NARVÁEZ, Committee Chair, said that the dialogue had provided further insight into the situation of women in Japan. The Committee encouraged the State party to undertake further efforts to implement the Convention more comprehensively for the benefit of all women and girls in the State.
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CEDAW24.030E