The Constitution of Japan, guaranteeing basic human rights such as respect for individuals and equality between women and men, was enacted in 1946. Fifty years later in 1996, the Council for Gender Equality (Chairperson: Yoko Nuita) drafted a report entitled "Vision of Gender Equality - Creating New Values for the 21st Century" in response to a request from the Prime Minister, which opened with the words, "Gender equality aims to achieve genuine equality between women and men by planting the idea of respecting human rights deeply into society's soil." Thus, the issues of respect for individuals and equality between women and men -- ideals pursued by Japan in the half century following World War II -- have once again been taken up under the new theme of "gender equality," as matters of utmost importance for Japan moving toward the 21st century.

Japan is facing a period of great economic and social change brought about by the falling birthrate, the aging of the population, the maturation and internationalization of economic activities, and the dramatic advances in information technology. Today, society is coming to a common awareness that gender equality is essential in order to address such changes, achieve historical reform, and build a prosperous, stable society in the future.

This applies to the international situation as well. It is now widely recognized that unless the status of women is enhanced, it will be impossible to resolve pressing global issues involving the environment, population and poverty.

The Headquarters for the Promotion of Gender Equality formulated this plan in recognition that the creation of a gender-equal society -- in the sense of establishing the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution -- is an issue that ought to be pursued with untiring effort and, at the same time, is an urgent issue that provides the key to resolving profound problems that directly confront Japan and the world as a whole today.

1. Background

(1) Efforts to date

Numerous reforms were achieved after World War II.

Women's suffrage was granted and legal equality between women and men was spelled out in the new Constitution in the most basic areas for raising the status of women (e.g., family and education). Such measures translated into a fundamentally improved legal status for women. Together with these reforms, as the Japanese economy achieved high growth and the Japanese people as a whole achieved economic prosperity, the status of women improved on a practical level, as well.

Japanese efforts toward the creation of a gender-equal society reached a new stage in 1975 when "International Women's Year" was proposed by the United Nations. That year, the first World Conference on Women ("The World Conference of International Women's Year") was held in Mexico City, where the World Action Plan was adopted as a guideline for specific measures to be taken by each country. In response, Japan established the Headquarters for the Planning and Promoting of Policies Relating to Women as a national machinery for the advancement of women. In 1977, the Headquarters formulated the National Plan of Action.

Thereafter, Japan's efforts for gender equality followed global trends toward the establishment of the goal initiated by the United Nations of "equality, development and peace." Based on international instruments adopted at world conferences on women and other fora, Japan formulated a national plan of action and promoted comprehensive and systematic measures based thereon.

In 1979, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was adopted at the United Nations General Assembly as fundamental and comprehensive international legal instruments to eliminate discrimination against women and substantiate the principle of gender equality. Subsequently, Japan promoted extensive legal and systematic measures related to gender equality and it ratified the Convention in 1985.

Also in 1985, at the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the UN Decade for Women, in Nairobi, the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women was adopted as a guideline for effective steps to be taken by each country toward the year 2000. Japan responded by formulating the new National Plan of Action Toward the Year 2000 -- hereafter referred to as the "New National Plan of Action" -- and by promoting measures in line with that plan thereafter.

In 1990, recommendations arising from the first review and appraisal of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women was adopted by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Japan responded by making its first set of revisions to the New National Plan of Action toward the Year 2000 (First Revision)-- hereafter referred to as the "New National Plan of Action (First Revision)" -- in 1991 and by promoting measures in line with that plan.

Under this first revision, the plan outlined basic policies for the period from FY1987 to FY2000 and concrete measures for the period from FY1991 to FY1995, and calls for the formulation of further concrete measures from FY1996.

(2) The Fourth World Conference on Women

In September 1995, The Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing, where the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies underwent its second review and appraisal toward full implementation, resulting in the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action. The Platform for Action -- dubbed the Agenda for the Empowerment of Women -- spelled out the areas that should receive priority toward the year 2000 and, with a view toward implementation, called on respective governments to have developed their plan of action preferably by the end of 1996. Partly as a response to these expectations of the international community, it became necessary to revise the New National Plan of Action (First Revision).

(3) Strengthening the national machinery and formulating an overall vision toward the 21st century

In 1994, the year prior to the conference in Beijing, Japan reorganized its Headquarters for the Planning and Promoting of Policies Relating to Women, establishing the Headquarters for the Promotion of Gender Equality, with the Prime Minister as its President, the Chief Cabinet Secretary and Minister for Women's Affairs as its Vice President, and all Cabinet Ministers as its members. In addition, the Council for Gender Equality was established as an advisory body to the Prime Minister.

In August 1994, the Prime Minister requested that the Council come up with an "Overall Vision of a Gender-Equal Society towards the 21st Century." In July 1996, following studies and deliberations that incorporated a broad cross-section of public opinion and the results of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Council presented its conclusions in "Vision of Gender Equality." This report spells out the definition, ideals and aims of a gender-equal society and proposes a direction and an agenda to be pursued until the year 2010 based on economic and social changes in Japan.

The five aims presented in the Vision of Gender Equality are: 1) the establishment of human rights; 2) the maturation of democracy by participating in the policy decision-making process; 3) greater and deeper awareness of gender-sensitive perspectives; 4) the creation of new values; and 5) contribution to the global community.

The document also points out five perspectives related to efforts to achieve a gender-equal society, as follows: 1) many systems and customs exist which might lead to gender-related prejudice; 2) major gaps exist between women and men in the workplace, family, and community; 3) an especially large gap exists between women and men in policy decision-making; 4) efforts to promote/defend the right to live without discrimination by gender are insufficient; 5) positive action toward the realization of "equality, development and peace" in the global community is necessary. The Vision of Gender Equality further proposes specific measures to address these challenges and stresses the need to establish and strengthen structures for the comprehensive and effective promotion of those measures.

2. Basic Philosophy and Structure

(1) Philosophy of the Plan for Gender Equality 2000

At the time of the revision of the New National Plan of Action (First Revision), developments internationally such as the Platform for Action outlined numerous specific issues for each country to tackle by the year 2000, calling on individual nations to formulate their own respective plans of action. In Japan, the Vision of Gender Equality gave the first clear picture of the kind of "gender-equal society" that should be pursued and provided guidelines for the Government in formulating medium- to long-term policy on gender equality. The New National Plan of Action (First Revision), with continuing recognition of the results and tasks outlined therein, was fundamentally revised to formulate this new plan of action for the promotion of a gender-equal society.

Under the Plan, a gender-equal society is understood as "one in which both women and men shall be given equal opportunities to participate voluntarily in activities at all levels as equal partners and shall be able to enjoy political, economic, social and cultural benefits as well as to take responsibilities equally."

Toward the realization of this ideal, the Plan calls for the comprehensive and systematic establishment and promotion of policy that should be adopted by the Government.

A decision was made to implement the Plan by the year 2000, considering the deadline for the implementation of the Platform for Action (also by the year 2000) and the need to ensure the Plan's effectiveness amid the vast extent and rapid pace of economic and social change in Japan. However, as the creation of a gender-equal society requires reforms in the consciousness, customs, and all other aspects of society (thus a long-term perspective), the Plan also spells out the direction for policy further ahead toward the beginning of the 21st century.

In drafting the Plan, efforts were made to follow up on measures from previous national plans of action, to incorporate measures to resolve remaining tasks, and to actively address new issues outlined in the Vision of Gender Equality and the Platform for Action, while striving to reflect, as much as possible, opinions and requests from a broad cross-section of society.

(2) Structure of the Plan for Gender Equality 2000

The Plan for Gender Equality 2000 is divided into three parts. Part 1 indicates the basic philosophy and structure of the plan in light of related efforts in the past. Part 2 outlines the basic direction of policy aims, and concrete measures to achieve those aims. Part 3 spells out a policy for the comprehensive and effective implementation of the Plan.

The Plan emphasizes the revision of systems and customs in all areas of society from the perspective of gender equality. This emphasis is incorporated into each of the measures outlined in Part 2 and as a mechanism in the structures for the promotion of the Plan in Part 3. Part 2 outlines four basic targets and, under these targets, 11 priority objectives. The first basic target is "Building Social Systems that Promote Gender Equality." This in itself is an important measure for the promotion of gender equality. At the same time, "increasing participation by women in policy decision-making processes" and "reviewing social systems and practices and reforming awareness from the perspective of gender equality" are included here because they play a foundational role in promoting gender equality in all policy areas. The second and third basic targets, respectively, are "achieving gender equality in the workplace, family and community" and "creating a society where human rights of women are promoted and defended in the area of domestic policies." Finally, the fourth basic target is "contributing to the 'equality, development and peace' of the global community in the area of international policies." Under each of these targets are the headings "Basic Direction of Measures," which states the direction of measures toward the beginning of the 21st century, and "Concrete Measures," which states concrete measures to be implemented through the year 2000.

The establishment and strengthening of systems for the comprehensive and effective implementation of these efforts is taken up in Part 3.

The Headquarters for the Promotion of Gender Equality hopes to deepen cooperation with all members of society in the steady promotion of the measures outlined in the Plan. Further, it hopes to promote the creation of a gender-equal society where new values for the new century are born, and women and men can together realize a higher quality of life.