Based on "Guidelines concerning enlargement of the recruitment and the promotion of female national public officers" formulated by the National Personnel Authority, each cabinet ministry has formulated a "Plan to enlarge the recruitment and the promotion of female officers" setting out targets to be achieved by FY2005, and all cabinet ministries have been making a united effort to push ahead with measures to this end.

In October 2002, the National Personnel Authority surveyed the status of measures being implemented in line with each cabinet ministry's plan. This survey showed that a little over half of the cabinet ministries had made progress towards achieving the recruitment targets specified in their plans. The status of offers for recruitment in FY2003 made to successful candidates of the FY2002 Level I and Level II examinations shows that the percentage of individuals receiving informal offers accounted for by women outnumbered by two points for Level I and one point for Level II respectively, from the percentage of successful candidates accounted for by women. In terms of promotion, the number of female subsection chiefs has increased in approximately half of the cabinet ministries, and the number of female section chiefs in approximately 30% of those. The content of measures initiated by each cabinet ministry varies, including recruitment measures to strengthen recruitment activities targeting women and to expand the scope of work women can become involved in, and promotion measures that afford women experience with other duties and opportunity in training. Moreover, numerous measures are being taken to establish a suitable work environment.

The Council for Gender Equality is mandated to monitor the implementation of Government measures promoting the formation of a gender-equal society, and to express their opinions to the Prime Minister and concerned ministers when necessary. Consequently, the Specialist Committee on Monitoring and Handling Complaints, established under the aforementioned Council, has been implementing monitoring since FY2001 in compliance with the Policy on Implementation of Monitoring by the Council for Gender Equality. In FY2001, the Committee focused on monitoring measures related to q Promotion of women's participation in national advisory councils and committees, w Promotion of the appointment and promotion of female national government officers, and e Policies on support measures for balancing work and child raising (Cabinet decision in July 2001), and examined a survey of their implementation. The Committee also studied matters deserving of special consideration when determining steps to be taken hereafter from the viewpoint of promoting the progressive and effective implementation of related measures.

A report on the results of this survey entitled "Opinions on the implementation of Government measures promoting the formation of a gender-equal society, and future measures" was adopted at a meeting of the Council for Gender Equality held on July 15, 2002.

It was decided that FY2002 monitoring would focus on measures pertaining to the "Collection, collation and provision of information related to gender equality" and "Contributing to the 'equality, development and peace' of the global community", important targets identified in the Basic Plan for Gender Equality, and examination of the implementation of relevant measures is gradually getting underway.

The Basic Law for a Gender-equal Society stipulates that "the State shall take necessary measures for handling complaints in regard to measures implemented by the government which are related to promotion of the formation of a gender-equal society, or which are recognized as influencing the formation of a gender-equal society, and that the State shall also take necessary measures for the relief of victims whose human rights have been infringed by factors impeding the formation of a gender-equal society, including gender-based discriminatory treatment."

In order to survey and examine systems to handle complaints in regard to measures and provide relief to victims of human rights infringements, the Specialist Committee on Monitoring and Handling Complaints has held hearings on relevant systems and measures with related ministries and agencies, local public bodies and so forth. Moreover, it has further enhanced its understanding of the actual situation by holding local hearings in three locations nationwide to hear the opinions of individuals involved in counseling services at local public bodies. In April 2002, it identified several points at issue with regard to matters considered important in terms of the future promotion of measures by concerned individuals. The Committee then solicited the opinions of a wide range of citizens on the points at issue, and the results of deeper deliberation were adopted in the form of a report entitled "Opinions on the Enhancement and Strengthening of Systems to Handle Complaints with regard to Measures on Gender Equality and Provide Relief to Victims of Human Rights Infringements" at the meeting of the Council for Gender Equality held in October 2002. Adoption of this report provided a guiding principle for further promotion of measures by concerned individuals.

The Basic Plan for Gender Equality also calls for the implementation of studies and research "to enhance the functions of existing systems to handle complaints on measures and provide relief to victims of human rights infringements, such as government counseling systems, including government counseling officers, and institutions protecting human rights, including human rights protection officers, by making active use of them."