Japan Lawmakers Petition for Toilets

Nearly 60 women lawmakers in Japan, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, have submitted a petition calling for more toilets in the parliament building. This action highlights the disparity in facilities, with only one lavatory containing two cubicles near the main plenary session hall for the 73 women elected to the lower house. The Diet building, completed in 1936, predates women's suffrage in Japan. Yasuko Komiyama of the Japan — Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan emphasized the long queues and the issue's impact on the conduct of proceedings. The event underscores Japan's broader challenges with gender equality, as reflected in its low ranking in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report. While Sanae Takaichi has expressed a desire for greater gender balance, her cabinet appointments and socially conservative views on family law and imperial succession suggest a complex approach to gender issues.