Increase in rape and indecent assault
An analysis of the number of indecent assaults reported with female victims by the age of the victims shows that the 13 to 19 age group was the largest in 1998 with 1,549 victims. This was followed by the 6 to 12 age group with 1,054 victims and the 20 to 24 age group with 757 victims. The increase in victims aged between 13 and 19, which is the largest victim age group, has been significant over the last few years (Figure 19).

Notes:

The 6-19 year-old age groups for 1989 are divided into 6-13 and 14-19.

Source:

Crime Statistics, National Police Agency.

Victim experience of coercion into a sexual act
When surveyed about whether they had ever been coerced into a sexual act against their will by a member of the opposite sex threatening them, holding them or using a weapon, 4.6% of women answered "Yes" and 2.2% answered "Twice or more" giving a total of 6.8% who answered "Yes."

So-called "enjo kosai" remains high
In recent years, so-called "enjo kosai" (schoolgirl prostitution) has become a problem among the young. In 1999, 4,475 underage girls were held in protective custody for deviant sexual behavior. The majority of these girls were junior and senior high school students, and their main motive was to make money for their own personal recreational use. This has been the top motivation for "enjo kosai" for five consecutive years since 1995, and it continues to account for over 40%.

Experience of sustaining violence from a spouse
When surveyed about whether they had sustained violence from a spouse, 2.7% of respondents replied "I have sustained life threatening violence," and 2.6% replied, "I have sustained violence severe enough to warrant medical treatment" (total of "Many times" and "Once or twice"). Of those who replied that they had sustained violence from a spouse, the most common response was "I was shouted at" at 37.7%.
0.5% of men and 4.6% of women replied "I have sustained life threatening violence" (Figure 20).

Source:

Survey on Violence Between Men and Women, Prime Minister's Office (2000).

Experience or lack of experience of counseling
Of those women who had sustained violence, 54.7% replied "I sought counseling" of some kind which exceeded those answering "I did not seek any counseling" at 37.8%. The breakdown of those who sought counseling (multiple answers) shows that most sought counseling "With my family" and "With a friend or a acquaintance." Less than 1% sought counseling from counseling services including public organizations such as the police (Figure 21).

Notes:

1. Number of respondents: 225; Total number of answers: 271
2. Includes human rights counselors at the Ministry of Justice and Regional Legal Affairs Bureaus.

Source:

Survey on Violence Between Men and Women, Prime Minister's Office (2000).

Reasons for not seeking counseling
Nearly 40% of women replied that "I did not seek counseling," and the most popular reasons for not doing so were "I thought if I persevered, I could get through it" and "I thought that some of the blame rested with me" which both received 41.2% of responses. This suggests that the victims tend to internalize their injuries.

Significant increase in sexual harassment inquiries
The number of inquiries about sexual harassment received by Prefectural Women's and Young Workers' Office nationwide in FY1998 was 7,019. This is believed to be due to the increased concern about sexual harassment from employers and female workers reflecting changes such as the revised Equal Employment opportunity Law.

Experience of being stalked
When women and men were surveyed about whether they had ever been persistently followed by a member of the opposite sex, 9.4% replied "Yes" and 88.4% replied "No."
Of the 4.8% of men and 13.6% of women had experienced being stalked, the proportion of women has increased.

Increase in indecent material on the Internet
The number of offenses related to the distribution of indecent material rose significantly in 1998 over the previous year with 669 incidents in which arrests were made and 881 people arrested. The likely reason is the spread in the popularity of the Internet, etc. "Distribution of indecent material" accounts for 69% of Internet offenses which have increased sharply 13-fold compared with five years ago.
Nearly 70% of Internet users have come into contact with harmful material, and the overwhelming majority of this is "indecent material."

Decrease in abortions
The number of cases of abortion and the rate of abortion (per 1000 women between 15 and 50) fell overall between 1975 and 1998. However, in the under 20 age group, the number of cases of abortion by age and the rate of abortion have been increasing (Figure 22).

Source:

Statistics on Mothers' Health, Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Worrying increase in sexually transmitted diseases among the youngss
Changes in the number of reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases among women based on fixed reporting show an increase in diseases such as chlamydia (Figure 23). In recent years, the increase among the young, including those under 20 and in their 20s, has been pointed out, and there is a danger of a future increase in transmission from mother to child during pregnancy and birth.

Source:

Infectious Disease Surveillance Information, Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Increased rate of smoking among women in their 20s
Changes in the rate of smoking show that while it is declining among men of all ages and those in their 20s and among women of all ages, the rate of smoking has increased significantly among women in their 20s from 12.7% in 1975 to 23.6% in 1999.
Smoking during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of low infant birth weight, premature birth, miscarriage and still birth.

Significant increase in women's Olympic sports
Since the 1970s, a large number of sports have been recognized as official Olympic events for women between the Montreal Olympics, which were held in 1976 the year after International Women's Year, and the most recent games held in Atlanta in 1996. Specifically, archery (team), canoeing (sprint), soccer, cycling, shooting, judo, swimming (4 x 200m relay, 50m freestyle, synchronized swimming) new gymnastics, table tennis, basketball, badminton, beach volley ball, handball, fencing, rowing, hockey, yachting (except for soling level) athletics (10,000m, 400m hurdles, 5000m, the marathon and the triple jump) have been recognized during this time.

Changes in admission rates by category of educational institution
An analysis of admission rates for males and females by category of educational institution shows that 96.9% of girls attended senior high school exceeding the rate for boys which was 94.8% in FY1999.
An analysis of the rate of higher educational institution attendance in FY 1999, shows that 46.5% of male students entered university (undergraduate). On the other hand, a total of 49.6% of female students entered university (undergraduate) or junior college (undergraduate). A breakdown of this figure shows that 29.4% entered university (undergraduate) and 20.2% entered junior college (undergraduate). While the rate of women's admission to university (undergraduate) has risen in recent years, their rate of admission to junior college has fallen.

Declining imbalance in the majors of female students
A comparison of the breakdown of female students' majors in university undergraduate departments in FY1999 compared to those of male students shows that women majoring in the humanities accounted for a large proportion. A comparison between women's majors in universities (undergraduate) and junior colleges (undergraduate) in FY1975 and FY1999 shows a decline in the proportion majoring in humanities and education at universities (undergraduate) and increase in the proportion majoring in social science studies and engineering. This shows that the imbalance in women's majors is decreasing. In addition, the proportion of students majoring in social and health-related fields at junior colleges has increased.

Increasing proportion of women in each specialized field
An analysis of the changes in the proportion of female students in each specialized area of study in universities (undergraduate), masters' courses and doctoral courses shows that the proportion of women has increased in most areas.
In FY1999, women accounted for 36.2%, 26.1% and 24.9% of those taking undergraduate, masters and doctoral courses respectively (Figure 24).

Source:

School Basic Survey, Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture

Increasing proportion of female administrative education personnel
An analysis of the proportion of women by job designation shows that the proportion of women in managerial positions, such as principal, vice principal, president and vice-president, was low in FY1999. An analysis of changes by job designation shows that there has been a significant increase in the proportion of women who are principals or vice principals in elementary schools (Figure 25).

Source:

School Basic Survey, Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (FY1999).

Many parents have fixed view of male and female roles
When surveyed on the roles of men and women, more men than women responded "I agree" to the statement "Men should go out to work, and women should take care of the home." An analysis by age group shows that a high proportion of parents responded "I agree" showing a need for consideration to be given to allowing children to enhance their individuality without regard to their sex (Figure 26).

Source:

Report on the 6th World Youth Awareness Survey, and Japan's Youth as Seen from a Comparison of Guardians and Lower and Upper Secondary School
Students: Second Report on the 6th World Youth Awareness Survey; Youth Affairs Administration, Management and Coordination Agency.

Disparity in educational expectations for children
An analysis of the responses to the question "What level of education do you want your junior high school age child to attain?" that was put to parents in the 1976 survey and the 1997 survey shows that even in 1976 70% of parents wanted their sons to attain at least a university level of education. This had not changed much in 1997. In contrast to this, in 1975, 21.8% of parents wanted their daughters to achieve at least a university level of education (at least junior college level: 53.1%), but this increased nearly two-fold in 1997 to 39.9% (at least junior college level: 73.9%).
Therefore, although the proportion of those who want their daughters to achieve a high level of education is low compared to sons, the proportion has risen significantly over the last 20 years.