ABSTRACT
Why is it that a country advanced in technology, human rights, and many other developmental indices has such a dismal record in empowering women, especially politically? This chapter examines this situation by first providing a brief outline of the history of women’s participation in politics. It is then followed by an exploration of reasons for Japan’s enduring gender inequality in the realm of political representation. The chapter then turns to the interesting and sometimes contested arguments for increasing women’s political representation—arguments about the nature of democracy and the impact women can have on policy-making processes—and concludes with a summary of the direction in which women in Japanese politics are heading.
