{"id":109495,"date":"2026-01-02T03:14:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T03:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=109495"},"modified":"2026-01-02T03:14:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T03:14:00","slug":"japan-pm-joins-fight-for-more-female-toilets-in-parliament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=109495","title":{"rendered":"Japan PM joins fight for more female toilets in parliament"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>2 Minute, 28 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
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Japan\u2019s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is among some 60 female lawmakers petitioning for more women\u2019s toilets in the parliament building to match their growing representation in the legislature.<\/p>\n

A record 73 women were elected into the 465-seat Lower House in October 2024, exceeding the previous high of 54 in 2009.<\/p>\n

One opposition lawmaker, Yasuko Komiyama, said there were often \u201clong queues in front of the restroom\u2026 before plenary sessions start\u201d, and quoted another MP who said she had \u201cgiven up\u201d going to the toilet before a session began.<\/p>\n

There is one female toilet with two cubicles near the plenary chamber, though the entire building itself has nine female toilets with 22 cubicles.<\/p>\n

There are a total of 12 men\u2019s toilets with 67 stalls and urinals across the building, according to local media reports.<\/p>\n

The current situation is \u201coften inconvenient\u201d because female staff and visitors also share the toilets, said Ms Komiyama from the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to raise my voice and prepare myself for the day when women hold more than 30% of [parliamentary seats] in the future,\u201d she wrote in a post on Facebook.<\/p>\n

Japan\u2019s parliament building was built in 1936, a decade before women was given the right to vote in 1945. The first women were appointed to parliament in 1946.<\/p>\n

The parliament building is a sprawling three-storey structure, with a central portion that is nine storeys high. The building occupies 13,356 square metres (143,800 sq ft), the equivalent of about two football pitches, with a total floor area of 53,464 square metres.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the administration is serious about promoting women\u2019s empowerment, I believe we can count on their understanding and cooperation,\u201d Komiyama said, according to Japanese media.<\/p>\n

Chair of the Lower House committee Yasukazu Hamada has \u201cexpressed a willingness\u201d to consider the proposal for more women\u2019s toilets, said an Asahi Shimbun report.<\/p>\n

The Japanese government earlier set a target of having 30% of leadership roles across all sectors of society held by women by 2020, but at the end of that year the timeframe was quietly pushed back by a decade.<\/p>\n

Women currently hold nearly 16% of the seats in the Lower House and about a third \u2013 or 42 out of 125 seats \u2013 in the Upper House.<\/p>\n

Takaichi, who became Japan\u2019s first female leader in October last year, had pledged to raise female representation in her cabinet to levels comparable to Nordic countries, which hold the top spots in terms of female leadership.<\/p>\n

Even then, she\u2019d appointed just two other women to her 19-member cabinet.<\/p>\n

In Japan, the dearth of women\u2019s restrooms extends beyond the legislative chamber.<\/p>\n

Long lines in front of women\u2019s public restrooms are a common sight nationwide.<\/p>\n

Former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba had said his government would look into \u201cenhancing women\u2019s restroom facilities\u201d to make Japan a society where \u201cwomen can live their lives with peace of mind\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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