Takaichi's Emperor Move and Japan's Gender Gap

00:00 Intro

00:14 "Even ballpoint pens and handbags sell out"... The Takaichi syndrome with a 71% approval rating

01:02 Plunging 12 percentage points in a month... The 'Imperial House Law' that breached the approval rating dike

01:58 "Even a complete stranger is a male monarch"... 'The exclusion of Aiko' sparks fury

03:12 "An emperor from the Aso family?"... Behind-the-scenes influence over the forceful legislation

04:48 "The mayor is going on maternity leave"... A first-of-its-kind experiment in constitutional history

07:07 "South Korea doesn't even have regulations"... A self-portrait of the 101st place in gender gap

This is Tokyo. Today, I am going to talk about three women who are currently locked in intense battles in Japan. Japan is a developed nation, but it is still a country with a wide gap when it comes to gender roles. This is especially true in politics.

1. "Even ballpoint pens and handbags sell out"... The Takaichi syndrome with a 71% approval rating

One of the politicians creating a crack in this is Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Prime Minister Takaichi became the Liberal Democratic Party's first female leader in September of last year, and next month she became Japan's first female prime minister in 140 years since the nation adopted the cabinet system. The public's support and expectations for the first female prime minister exceeded expectations. Immediately after taking office, her approval rating stood at 71%, recording the 4th highest approval rating for a prime minister since 2000. The ballpoint pen used by Takaichi at her inaugural press conference sold out rapidly, and the handbag she carried on her way to work also sold out. She dispelled her hardline conservative image by approaching South Korea with a friendly attitude.

#Sanae Takaichi / Japanese Prime Minister

"I love Korean seaweed. I also use Korean cosmetics. I watch Korean dramas, too."

2. Plunging 12 percentage points in a month... The 'Imperial House Law' that breached the approval rating dike

Takaichi's popularity, which had shown no signs of cooling down by maintaining approval ratings in the 60s and 70s consistently since taking office, has recently shown signs of change. Following the passage of the revision to the Imperial House Law in the Japanese parliament on the 17th, polls showed a sharp plunge in the Takaichi Cabinet's approval rating. In a Mainichi Shimbun poll on the 20th, it dropped by 10 percentage points from a month ago, and a week later, a Yomiuri Shimbun poll showed a 12 percentage point drop. This is the first time the cabinet approval rating has fallen by more than 10 percentage points in a month since controversies surrounding the Unification Church emerged during the Kishida Cabinet in 2022. Yomiuri pointed out that the reason for the plunge in approval ratings is the forceful processing of the Imperial House Law revision, over which public opinion is sharply divided. The Imperial House Law is the law that determines Japanese imperial succession and the composition of the imperial family. It has little to do with people's livelihoods. Then why did public sentiment react so sensitively?

3. "Even a complete stranger is a male monarch"... 'The exclusion of Aiko' sparks fury

There are various complex circumstances, but in short, it is because the right to imperial succession is at stake. Among the remaining 16 members of the imperial family, there are 3 males capable of succeeding the Emperor, but the only young male practically capable of succession is Prince Hisahito, the nephew of Emperor Naruhito. Because of the principle that the throne can only be succeeded by patrilineal males, if Hisahito fails to have a son, the succession will be cut off. There were two solutions. One is to allow women, such as Emperor Naruhito's only daughter Princess Aiko, to become monarchs, or to adopt males from former imperial families who were excluded due to the downsizing of the imperial family right after World War II. Public opinion favored "allowing women to become monarchs as well," but the ruling party opted to adopt males from the former imperial family. Instead of granting succession rights to Princess Aiko, who enjoys popularity for her down-to-earth image, the ruling party decided to adopt a male who is the 36th to 38th cousin of Emperor Naruhito—effectively a complete stranger—to ensure a male monarch is established at all costs, which enraged the public. Public support for a 'female emperor' jumped by more than 10 percentage points in a month, from 73% to 85%. The approval for a female emperor rose by exact amount the cabinet approval rating declined.

4. "An emperor from the Aso family?"... Behind-the-scenes influence over the forceful legislation

What angered the public even more is that suspicions have emerged that the influence of former Prime Minister Taro Aso played a role in this forceful processing. Former Prime Minister Aso's younger sister is Princess Nobuko, who became a member of the imperial family through marriage in 1980, and projections suggest she is currently the most likely to adopt a male into the family, excluding elderly and unmarried members. Indeed, if Princess Nobuko adopts a former imperial family male and that adopted son bears a son, that son can become emperor. The possibility arises that an emperor could emerge from the Aso family, rather than the current Naruhito family. Speculation also suggests that Takaichi, who has a weak intra-party base, would have found it difficult to reject Aso's demand—Aso who leads the sole faction within the Liberal Democratic Party and put her in the prime minister's seat. In any case, it is an ironic scene where Takaichi, who broke the glass ceiling of politics to become the first female prime minister, raises the hand of the LDP's hardline conservatives who say a 'queen' is absolutely out of the question. Although they did not exchange debates directly, it feels like a confrontation between Prime Minister Takaichi and Princess Aiko. On the 27th in parliament, requests were made to establish an advisory body to discuss imperial succession plans including a female emperor, but Prime Minister Takaichi drew a line, stating she has no such intentions right now. However, since the dike of the approval rating that seemed unbreakable has collapsed once due to this Imperial House Law revision, if the administration continues actions detached from public opinion, the foundation of the government could be shaken. If the voices of the majority of the public surpass the conservative right-wing forces and open up the possibility of a 'female emperor' through this, the significance will not be limited simply to the issue of the imperial family.

5. "The mayor is going on maternity leave"... A first-of-its-kind experiment in constitutional history

Meaningful changes are beginning in a local city as well. This is the story of Shoko Kawata, the mayor of Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture. Mayor Kawata, who is in her 30s, started her maternity leave on the 20th. It is maternity leave that anyone takes, but since it is the first in constitutional history among Japanese local government heads, it has snowballed into a nationwide debate. Mayor Kawata already drew attention three years ago when she was elected as the youngest mayor nationwide at the age of 33. Since taking office, she has pushed to improve the childcare environment and resolve population issues as core tasks, and when she announced her pregnancy last May, she declared she would take four months of maternity leave around September, her expected due date.

#Shoko Kawata / Mayor of Yawata

"I found out about my pregnancy earlier this year, and I plan to take maternity leave."

Since there were no regulations regarding maternity leave for a mayor, it was decided to apply the same 16-week leave given to Yawata City employees. During the leave period, the vice mayor will lead city administration as acting mayor, and Mayor Kawata decided to communicate with city officials via phone and video conferences. While these measures were arranged, criticisms flooded in, calling it irresponsible and demanding her resignation, given that it is maternity leave for an elected official. However, Mayor Kawata's thought was clear. She believes that if taking maternity leave is prohibited simply because it is a position carrying leadership, it is equivalent to excluding women of childbearing age from senior positions.

#Shoko Kawata / Mayor of Yawata

"We must create a society where working people, including those in leadership roles, do not hesitate to have children. Otherwise, population decline due to falling birth rates will continue, and the resulting economic downturn is inevitable, I think."

The reason there were not even maternity leave regulations is that there were extremely few elected female public officials. As of the end of last year, female local government heads in Japan accounted for a mere 4.3% of upper-level local governments and 3.7% of basic local governments. Among them, young women of childbearing age like Mayor Kawata are bound to be even fewer. Mayor Kawata said in an interview, "Through this matter, I want to encourage all people working in various occupations to naturally accept important life moments like childcare and childbirth and maintain a work-life balance."

6. "South Korea doesn't even have regulations"... A self-portrait of the 101st place in gender gap

When I first encountered Mayor Kawata's story, I thought it was just a story unique to Japan. However, upon checking, it turned out not to be the case. South Korea also lacks maternity leave regulations for elected officials. At least in Japan, regulations for members of parliament took effect last year. In contrast, in South Korea, bills to introduce maternity leave for parliamentary seats were proposed in the 20th and 21st National Assemblies, but they failed to pass and were automatically discarded. Countries such as the US, UK, Germany, Nordic countries, and New Zealand guarantee maternity leave for elected officials. In the Global Gender Gap Index announced by the World Economic Forum last year, South Korea ranked 101st out of 148 countries, and Japan ranked 118th. Regardless of gender, we need to look back and ask how desperate we are to create a sustainable society where the members of that society can demonstrate their abilities 100%.

(Reported by Mun Junmo, Production by Kim Suhyung, Filmed by Han Chelmin and Mun Hyunjin, Video Editing by Hong Jinyoung, Design by Lee Sumin, Produced by SBS Digital News)

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