Patriarchy: why is Japan still so macho?

Yoshiro Mori was chairman of the Tokyo Olympics committee when he regretted that women delayed any gathering: “They have a very strong sense of rivalry and, if we talk, others feel the need to do it too. And in the end everyone is talking ”. It was February and he resigned after a week of draining the water with the usual formula: soda, apologies for his “inappropriate comments”, accusations to the press of having misinterpreted him and a firm commitment to continue in power. . But the Tokyo public relations crisis, already with the share of problems well covered by the coronavirus, advised to thin the ballast. There is no precedent for a president of an organizing committee resigning five months before the cauldron is lit. He was relieved by Seiko Hashimoto, with the most appropriate biography: Minister of Sports, Olympic medalist in speed skating and, above all, a proven fight for gender equality.

The tsunami was born in a tuit of Momoko Nojo, student, tagged “Don’t be silent” which required responsibility and obtained 150,000 memberships in a few days. There aren’t many precedents either. Japan, the most patriarchal and hierarchical country in the world, of a twenty-year-old toppling a high post who, in addition, had served as Prime Minister. “I don’t think people are aware that they have the power to make a difference, they don’t know how to raise their voice,” says Nojo.

The storm came with a full glass. First because there are only five women among the 24 members of the organizing committee while more than 40% were promised. Second, because coronavirus hit women hardest, with layoffs and suicides at record highs. And third, because the comments attacked Japan’s image of modernity on the eve of an event countries are using to place their finest culture in the global showcase.

Maybe Mori would keep the chair if Nojo hadn’t studied for a year in Denmark. She was already aware of the problems faced by women in her country, but she didn’t think her efforts demanded it, and she wasn’t too uncomfortable with the comments that attributed her excellent grades to the Faculty of Education. economics of Keio University to deferential treatment of “pretty girls.” “I thought it was normal for a handful of politicians to make the decisions,” he says. The culture of the Nordic country was strange to him and he was surprised that it was led by Mette Frederiksen, a young woman, unlike the sclerotic and patriarchal Japanese political class. “I realized that democracy works there. Each person has their opinions and expresses them in open dialogues. I have met leaders of political parties and was surprised that so many young people are joining the activism in relation to Japan. They believe their voice can cause change ”.

The West and logic suggest that economic development and gender equality go hand in hand. Japan and South Korea deny it in Asia. The third world power is ranked 121 out of 153 in the World Economic Forum’s ranking on gender equality. History explains in part. Although fertility was already considered sacred in ancient Japanese culture, women were seen as a second class in society and useless in politics. The role was emphasized with the culture of the samurai. In classical Japanese literature, unlike in Europe, there is no chivalrous respect for women. The modernization of the 19th century did not change the design, nor did the family laws of 1946. Urbanization and industrialization have been rapid, unlike the sedimentation of the West, and these abrupt changes generate strong conservative or even reactionary responses to manage uncertainty and anxiety.

Economic development is just one factor, says Melanie Sayuri, a Japanese gender sociologist at the University of New Mexico. “There are studies that reveal the importance of feminist movements in obtaining certain rights. And these movements have been weak in Japan. In addition, the Liberal Democratic Party has been very powerful for decades and leftist formations have been very weak, which explains the rest of the puzzle“, keep on going.

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s campaigns to push them into the job market have not worked, driven less by egalitarian convictions than by the productive urgencies of a seized economy and a workforce. decreasing work due to rapid aging. Women earn 70% of men’s wages for the same work and 60% quit after childbirth.

The late and subdued #MeToo movement improved the picture. Several politicians, for example, have lost their posts due to previously silent sexual abuse. But academics and activists are demanding structural reforms and recommending that Mori’s resignation be interpreted sparingly. Contrary to what has happened before, a lukewarm apology was not enough to save itself, but few see a decisive step in the fight for women’s equality. “This was important because it set a clear precedent for sexist comments but the road will be long, we will have to fight on a case by case basis,” warns Nojo.

More information