The Liberal Democrat Party Of Japan Plans To Allow 5 Women In Meetings, But You Cannot Talk

Office of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The expression of sexism conveyed by the President of the Tokyo Olympic Committee, Yoshiro Mori, continues to be widely discussed even though he has resigned from his post.

Most recently the ruling Liberal Democrats have proposed a plan to allow women to attend important meetings. In fact, they plan to allow five women MPs to attend, but only as observers.

Liberal Democrat Party Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai said he heard criticism that the party council was dominated by men. But according to him, members of the council were elected.

However, according to him, it is important for female party members to observe the party's decision-making process.

"It's important to fully understand the type of discussion that is going on. Let's see, what's this about, "Nikai said at a press conference as reported by Reuters.

During the meeting, the women were unable to speak. However, they can submit their opinions separately to the secretariat office, the Nikkei Daily reported.

Japan itself is ranked 121 out of 153 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2020 Global Gender Gap Index. Sakura country scores poorly on women's economic participation and political empowerment.

This week, a group of women MPs in the Liberal Democratic Party asked Nikai to increase the ratio of women in key positions in the party. However, the limitation of women is only as observers and remains silent, immediately drawing criticism.

Opposition lawmakers scoffed at it as a fieldtrip, while Twitter users said the party's male-centered views had not changed since the Yoshiro Mori controversy.

"People just put women into them as a kind of PR exercise," Belinda Wheaton, a sociologist of culture at the University of Waikato, New Zealand.