Japan’s Modest Effort To Address Gender Gap In Politics Ahead Of Polls

Karen Makishima is the only woman running for Japan’s ruling party in her 20-seat prefecture for the October 27 election, highlighting the challenges women face in male-dominated politics. Despite the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) pledge to reduce the gender gap, only 16% of its candidates are women, falling short of the 35% target set for 2025, according to Reuters.