In order to realize a gender-equal society, we must solve women's problems first. To do so, every individual woman must cultivate her consciousness and ability, and strive to be more powerful in every way: politically, economically, socially and culturally. It is also important to change the society and the notions and behavior of men. Not only the state and local public bodies, but also private corporations, various organizations and the individual citizens themselves must make efforts on following issues.

1. Forming a Society with No Gender-Related Prejudice
   • (1) Revision of Systems and Customs which might lead to Gender-Related Prejudice
   • [Objectives]
   • Many of social systems and customs are based on the premises of stereotyped gender roles, and even if gender roles are not explicitly mentioned, many of them do not function neutrally for men and women as the result of the reflection of the difference in the actual position of men and women in society or the public consciousness of stereotyped gender roles. Furthermore on the other hand, it can be also said that the public consciousness of such stereotyped gender roles has been formed by the influence of these systems and customs. These systems and customs often tend to lead to gender-related prejudice because they are based on the stereotyped gender roles at the time they were formed and because an individual is still treated according to his/her status within the family.
     Approaching the 21st century, we must prepare to adjust the conditions of society which will enable men and women to participate as equal members in not just the family and workplace, but in every field of society. In order to achieve these objectives, it is necessary to review those systems and customs based on stereotyped gender roles, from the viewpoint of gender equality. Furthermore, it is necessary to change the family-oriented views underlying those systems and customs into the individual-oriented views, and to establish frameworks of society which will neutrally apply to every citizen, whatever life style each individual may choose.
   • [Practical Measures]

     1)

     Under the present system in the Civil Code, which does not permit a married couple to assume different family names, it is usual that women change their surnames at the time of marriage. However, this system sometimes brings inconvenience in social lives to those women who have changed their surnames upon marriage and hinders women from participating in society.
     Therefore, from the viewpoint of promoting the formation of a gender-equal society, the revision of the Civil Code pertaining to the marriage system, etc. which will enable married couples to have the options of separate surnames (Note *1), should be urgently realized.
     When revising the provisions concerning the principles of breakdown of marriage (Note *2) upon divorce the relevant systems to support the self-independence of divorced women should be further adjusted and strengthened, so that divorced women might not fall into social or economical difficulties.

     2)

     The systems concerning spouses, such as the tax system, social insurance system and the spouse allowance in private companies face revision, since working conditions and attitudes of women have greatly changed compared to the time when most women stayed at home and were dependent on their husbands. Already, some of the related councils reported that the sections of the tax system concerning spouses are set back for the neutrality of tax system for working women. It was also pointed out that the social security system is formed on the concept that a wife is a dependent of her husband. These systems need to be thoroughly studied considering: the greater participation of women in public affairs at present; how in-home child/family care ought to be appreciated in society; how to achieve fairness in various households; and how to realize a society where individuals can select their lifestyles free of prejudice.
     For this reason, problems concerning the tax system for spouses, dependent spouses of employees on the national pension plan (class 3 insured), survivor's pension plans, the division of rights to a pension, dependent spouses covered by health insurance must be studied immediately and revised as necessary in the light of a gender-equal society, based on reports of related councils and on the public opinion. According to the tax system and the income limit of social insurance, the determined spouse allowance must be discussed between the employers and the employees.

     3)

     It is hoped that individuals in society will positively work to review various customs existing within the family, workplace, and community, which could lead to sexual discrimination.

     Note:

      

     (*1)

     The option of separate surnames for a married couple: The system in which a married couple has the option to commonly assume either of their previous surnames(the common surnames), or to separately assume their own previous surnames(separate surnames) at the time of marriage.

     (*2)

     The principle of breakdown of marriage: The view that the dissolution of marriage shall be admitted in the case in which the matrimonial relationship of a married couple has reached a situation of irretrievable breakdown.

   • (2) The Construction of a Social System Where Men and Women have an Equal Share in Paid and Unpaid Work
   • [Objectives]
   • Activities within a family or community, such as child and family care at home, or volunteer activities in the community are directly related to the sustentation of human life, daily life and reproduction. The purpose of these activities, in many cases, is not the receipt of payment. These activities can also be considered social functions of great economic value, because if these activities were not done at home, they would have to be substituted by public services. Essentially, these activities must be shared by both sexes, or by the society as a whole. Similarly, family members who work in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, or self-employed businesses (such as shops or factories) often do not receive monetary remuneration, but if they were to hire workers from outside the family to do the same job, they would have to pay wages for roughly the same economical contribution. Appropriate economic estimates must be given to this type of work, whether it is performed by a man or woman.
     This so-called unpaid work is usually performed by women in both developed and developing countries, and since there are no wages or rewards, it is difficult to determine the value for such a type of labor. Thus, the contribution of women is often not apparent. Evaluating the value of unpaid work in terms of money would make men become more aware of its significance, and encourage men to participate further in this type of work. At the same time, it will abolish the underestimation of the role of women, and change the social framework which only takes paid work into account. This will lead to a fair division of responsibility and to the proper distribution of the fruits of labor according to contributions made between men and women.
     The issues discussed in 2, such as the shortening of working hours and narrowing of the wage gap between men and women are also important factors in setting the conditions for both sexes to participate in both paid and unpaid work equally.
   • [Practical Measures]

     1)

     In order to clarify the type, degree, and distribution of unpaid work, detailed research on the use of time will need to be conducted regularly. Also, methods of calculating unpaid work must be studied with trends from foreign countries and international organizations in mind.

     2)

     As for family members working in family businesses in industries such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, commerce, and manufacturing, it is important to obtain statistical information to get a clearer idea of their conditions, especially the conditions for women. In doing so, the design of statistical surveys and analysis of the results are indispensable to grasp the exact role performed by women.
     As a measure to clarify the position of family members including women working in family businesses, and to secure a reward for labor for each individual member of the family, family enterprise agreement mentioned in 2 (2) should be promoted.

     3)

     As for child and family care carried out at home, issues such as how the society should share the burden, how the work should be evaluated, to whom the work belongs or how the cost should be met, must be studied bearing in mind the rapidly aging society and falling birth rate as well as cases in other countries.

   • (3) Making a Social Infrastructure from the Standpoint of People in Society
   • [Objectives]
   • In order for women and men to be able to sufficiently display their talents in every field and to achieve self-realization, the social infrastructure in which they live must be made from the standpoint of people in society(*). In the past, the construction of countries, cities, and houses; production and consuming activities, as well as technical development, tended to be formed on the premise that people involved would be non-disabled males, but if we take other types of people such as women, senior citizens, the disabled or children into consideration, the society would become easier not only for those people, but also for male persons to participate in. When we think of the consolidation of social infrastructures, we should not be enslaved to the stereotypical idea that women are housekeepers and men are laborers.

     Note*:

     People in Society: In this report, the term refers to "a person seen in light of his/her place in the family or community", in contrast with "a person seen in light of his/her place at work".

   • [Practical Measures]

     1)

     To establish a social infrastructure that allows people to pursue whatever life he/she chooses, the views and needs of the people must be taken into consideration during national land planning, urban planning, regional development, and the preservation of the environment. For this reason, we should encourage the further participation of women in the policy-making process of the plans.

     2)

     From the viewpoint of promoting gender equality within family and community, we should promote the development of equipment and facilities related to daily lives, including the development new technology and commodities, housing, and communication technology which will make things easier for working women and men.

     3)

     In order to promote the independence and social participation of disabled persons, we should push forward comprehensive measures to alleviate various inconveniences: physical inconveniences such as those pertaining to transportation and buildings; structural inconveniences such as limitation of qualifications; cultural inconveniences such as insufficient usage of Braille and sign language; and emotional inconveniences such as thinking of disabled persons as people in constant need of protection.

2. Establishing Gender Equality in the Workplace, Family, and Community
   • (1) Equal Opportunity and Equal Treatment at the Workplace
   • [Objectives]
   • The most important issue in gender equality is to secure the right to choose a job and make a living regardless of one's gender or family responsibilities at home. Ten years have passed since the "Law Respecting the Improvement of the Welfare of Women Workers Including the Guarantee of Equal Opportunity and Treatment between Men and Women in Employment" (hereafter referred as "The Equal Employment Opportunity Law", and women's participation has increased considerably. However, the social environment for the employment of women is still not so favorable as we can see the difficulty female students have faced in entering companies in recent years. In order to secure equal opportunity and treatment in employment, it is necessary to review the law.
     At present, many female workers work in various working styles such as part-time work or dispatch work etc. Especially, since part-time jobs are easy to make compatible with home making, and since there are few opportunities for women to become full-time employees, the number of part-time female workers has been increasing recently, and now accounts for more than 30% of the total number of female workers. Also, recent rapid progress of the communication system has enabled a new working style. If appropriate working conditions are secured, this new working style will offer high quality, flexible employment opportunities, that will enable both male and female workers to reconcile work with family life and community activities. As for this new working style, it is indispensable to secure appropriate working conditions and to improve personnel management. Also we should prepare a working environment where various working styles may be chosen in order for one to perform to the best of his/her ability is possible. In doing so, we should be careful not to aggravate gender roles or confine women to low-paid, unstable supplementary work.
     Recently, many people -regardless of gender- have been interested in setting up their own businesses. However, in the case of women, there may be many obstacles to entrepreneurism, since many lack occupational or business related experience, and there are prejudices among society against women. In order to deal with this, support for women wishing to start their own businesses is desirable. Recently, NPOs (Non-Profit Organizations, *1) and Worker's collective(*2) have been identified as places to learn new ways of working, and this should also be taken into consideration.

     Note:

      

     (*1)

     NPO(Non-Profit Organization): Private non-profit organization. An organization which works for the public interest in the areas of welfare, human rights, environment, and aid to developing countries.

     (*2)

     Workers collective: Business organization which was formed voluntarily by people in the community. Many of their activities are necessary for society, but at the same time not industrialized, such as welfare, education, environment preservation, and consumer movement.

   • [Practical Measures]

     1)

     It is hoped that in private corporations, personnel management in line with the Equal Employment Opportunity Law is pursued. Furthermore, it is expected that a fair and clear personnel management system that focuses on the individual ability, along with more opportunities for female workers to develop their abilities, and seminars for managerial persons to change their notions about women, will widen the job opportunities for women, and lead to more positive appointment of women to managerial positions. In order to achieve these, the company must check the conditions of personnel management by itself, identify problems, and try to improve the personnel management systematically, and compile measures to promote these issues.

     2)

     As for the complaints and discontent of female workers, Prefectural Women's and Young Workers' Offices all over Japan should give more flexible support to female employees and employers, in order to settle disputes between employers and employees, including unorganized workers, in a swift and simple way . It goes without saying that by including more women workers into the decision-making level in labor unions, the dispute-settling system within companies may change for the better.

     3)

     As for the Equal Employment Opportunity Law, an overall studies including dispute-settling systems should be conducted so as to prohibit discriminatory treatment against both sexes and to implement an effective legal system to secure equal opportunity and treatment. It is hoped that efforts will be made to establish a legal framework pertaining to both men and women in consideration of the provisions for the protection of women under the Labor Standards Law (excluding those regarding pregnancy and birth), in consideration of facilitating an environment in which male and female workers can reconcile work and family life.
     In order to provide a working environment where women can work easily during pregnancy and after giving birth, it is important to apply policy instruments such as health checks of pregnant women and mothers. It is also necessary to push forward measures to support continuous health care administration to working women.

     4)

     Equal wages should be strictly implemented as stipulated in the Labor Standards Law, following "The Convention concerning Equal Remuneration for Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value" (ILO Convention No.100) and "Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women." Furthermore, factors which cause wage differences between men and women should be analyzed, and positive measure should be taken to narrow the wage gap.

     5)

     As for part-time workers, further measures should be taken with the understanding that they are not just a supplementary, temporary workforce, but an indispensable workforce supporting the Japanese economy and society. To perform at the best of their ability, work stability and appropriate working conditions comparative to those of full-time workers, along with a work environment promoting the development of their vocational abilities are necessary. The appropriate operation of worker dispatching undertakings should be secured, and sufficient consideration should be taken to secure employment stability and proper working conditions etc. of dispatched workers, when designated works are expanded.
     As for new forms of employment or work which are coming into fashion, such as telework, the working conditions should receive sufficient attention.

     6)

     It is necessary to offer basic knowledge and relevant information about business management, marketing methods, laws and regulations, to women who want to start their own businesses. Recently, public and private institutions which support entrepreneurs are trying to offer financial aid, loans, and credit insurance. These kinds of programs need to be more actively implemented in the future.

   • (2) Promotion of Gender Equality in Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, and Self-Employed Businesses
   • [Objectives]
   • Women make up more than 60% of the agricultural workforce, and stimulate the regions by making a large contribution in the production of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and by participating in local events. Also, in self-employed businesses like a merchant or manufacturers' family, women play a big role in production activities as a manager or family employee, thus contributing to the maintenance of the family and the development of the community.
     On the other hand, in spite of the fact that women are playing important roles, their achievement is not evaluated fairly, and women's participation in the decision-making process has not increased yet. This is because production and daily life are so closely connected that they are inseparable, and also because stereotyped gender roles and customs still exist. So, we should clearly recognize the contribution of women, promote their ability development, and increase the opportunities for them to participate in the decision-making process.
     We should strive to create a society where women working in the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries, and in family businesses should design their own lives and receive fair evaluation for their contribution, leading their lives with confidence both at home and the workplace, and participating in society as equal partners with men.
   • [Practical Measures]

     1)

     Society should give fair recognition to those women involved in the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries and in family businesses, as important members of production and regional activities, and should also correct the stereotyped gender roles and customs in the region, promote men's participation in family activities and develop public relations to enlighten the public by various methods.

     2)

     A family business agreement as clear rules must be established within the family running a family business, in order to distribute the profit proportional to the amount of work done, to improve the economic status of women through the formation of assets, to establish a favorable employment environment, and to clarify the working conditions. This concept should be promoted and shared by the people in general. Also, in order to stabilize lives after retirement and to modernize the family-run agricultural business, the agricultural pension scheme, which is now available for women engaged in agricultural work should be widely advertised to encourage women to enroll. (*)

     3)

     Women engaged in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries and those in family businesses tend to be expected to work hard at both work and home. In order to deal with this problem, more facilities for child/family care should be built in the community, and also the people's attitude should change towards freely using those facilities . In order to support women's autonomous activities, regular holidays must be provided, a support system must be prepared in cases of sickness or unforeseen accidents, and each community should strive to set a system that best suits the community, enabling women to participate in various social activities.

     4)

     Women who became involved in the agriculture, forestry or fishing industries, or family businesses through marriage often do not receive any training or education about production techniques or management. So, it is necessary to make more opportunities for them to gain basic knowledge, techniques and management skills, and to share other's experiences. Also, in order to encourage willingness and confidence in women and to increase the number of areas where those activities can be carried out, measures should be made that will recognize women's ability and give a certain status and evaluation.

     5)

     In the future, women's participation in decision-making processes on any issues concerning regional production and lives must be greatly increased from the viewpoint of the importance of their roles in the agriculture, forestry or fishing industries, or family businesses.
     We should further promote women's participation as proper members of the Agriculture Cooperative, the Fishery Cooperative and the Commercial and Industrial Cooperatives organized by workers in those fields. In order to reflect female workers' opinions upon the management of labor unions, more women should be board members or participate more in decision making, and each union should discuss the actual plans, implementing them swiftly. As for the agriculture committee and land reformation committee, more of the board members should be women. Furthermore, we should discuss the measures that more women actively participate as board members in deciding regional development plans for rural areas known for agriculture, forestry or fisheries.

     Note*:

     Expansion of agricultural pensions for women: The revision of the Agriculture Pension Law in June 1995 (effective from 1996) opened the way for women who work in the agriculture industry with their husbands and who in reality are recognized as being agricultural partners under a family business agreement - even if she is not the owner of the farm land - to join the agricultural pension.

   • (3) Support for Men and Women to Reconcile Work with Family and Community Life
   • [Objectives]
   • The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women states in the preamble that family responsibilities should be born by both men and women. Also the article that Japan ratified in June 1995 "The Convention concerning Equal Opportunities and Equal Treatment for Men and Women Workers: Workers with Family Responsibilities" (hereafter referred as ILO Convention 156), aiming at all the workers regardless of gender who have family responsibilities (such as child and family care), states that one can make vocational responsibilities and family responsibilities compatible.
     This represents the most fundamental thinking behind the society of equal participation between men and women and we are vigorously seeking to fulfill each measure to realize this purpose.
     In Japan, support measures for harmonizing work and family life, such as company leave for the purpose of child/family care have been institutionalized, but still, making those two responsibilities compatible is not easy. Especially for nursing, since the country is fast becoming an aging society, many workers are forced to leave the jobs to care for family members, and many are having difficult times caring. This is expected to become an even more serious social problem in the future. Today, most child/family care tasks are in the hands of women, and the hours men spend homemaking has been very short even after 1975, the International Women's Year, and as a matter of fact men's willing participation in household activities is extremely limited. Since the divorce rate has increased, the number of single mother families has also increased, and within these families the burden of child care is quite heavy. Under these circumstances, it is most important that men and women both share family responsibilities, and especially for caring for children and family members, society as a whole must look after them. In addition, support according to individual needs is desired.
     Making men take part in family life and community life will not only let them share the burden mainly borne by women, but also let men find other values in life, apart from vocational values such as child rearing and this will lead to the enrichment of their lives.

     Note*:

     Family obligations and responsibilities: family responsibilities means responsibilities to dependent children, or to family members who need care and support . On the other hand, family obligation has a broader meaning, and includes all the responsibilities concerning the maintenance of a family, including child and family care, and household chores.

   • [Practical Measures]

     1)

     The upbringing of children must be supported by the whole community. A favorable environment for the birth and upbringing of a child must be provided along with the ability to make work compatible with family life. In order to achieve these, the following measures should be taken: Improve the quality of child care, and also offer various types of caring systems such as daycare institutions for young babies, longer hour child care, temporary or emergency child care, and caring for school children after school. Economic aid should be given to child rearing families, and consultation systems concerning child care should be prepared. At the same time, in order to bring up healthy children, a new welfare system concerning the family and children should be developed, taking into consideration that more women are at work and that child caring will be shared between both sexes.

     2)

     Based on the concept that the burden of family care should not be borne just by the immediate family alone, but should be borne by society as a whole, services for the in-home welfare measures and welfare facilities for the elderly must be improved, and the training of more personnel for family care along with development of welfare equipment and residences must be promoted.

     3)

     Child-care leave system and family care leave system must be generally known. Also, measures to make work compatible with responsibilities at home, such as establishing company nurseries, must be supported, and more improvements on consultation and information services for workers caring for children and/or the aged are necessary. Furthermore, support for job seekers, who had to resign because of child/family care is important.

     4)

     Single parents, especially single mothers, tend to have a sense of uneasiness concerning child upbringing, and tend to have difficulties becoming economically and socially independent, making their lives rather unstable. In order to help them become independent, discrete measures in both the welfare and employment systems must be taken.

     5)

     In order for both male and female workers to enjoy their family lives and have time to participate in the community, we should institutionalize the trend towards shorter working hours, and endeavor to establish 1,800 hours of annual labor under the socio-economic plan for structural reforms, promoting a five-day work system, the taking of annual leave, and curtailment of overtime. Also, we should promote flexible working time systems and so forth.

     6)

     In order to change job-oriented values and lifestyles and to lead a life that is in harmony with the home and community, we should change the notions of male workers. We should revise various systems and conventions within companies, questioning whether these systems and conventions are nurturing job-centered values and lifestyles. We should also promote corporate support of the community and home, with such as introductions of long holidays for the purpose of rejuvenating.

     7)

     The increased awareness of participation to community is the key to enrichment of community life, and an environment encouraging anyone interested in volunteer work to participate is important. In order to achieve this, more information should be provided, more opportunities for volunteer activities should be made, more chances of acquiring knowledge and techniques should be given, and leave for volunteer activities should be introduced. Also we must consider a system to support organizations which conduct volunteer activities.

   • (4) Promotion of Gender Equality in the Aging Society
   • [Objectives]
   • In the beginning of the 21st century, we will face an aged society, and that is the time when all the problems men and women are facing at home and in the community will emerge. So, the problem of realizing gender equality in the aged society will be ever more important.
     In other words, the female portion of the aged is far greater than the male portion, and the problems senior citizens face will be closely related to those faced by women. Today, women are not ensured economic independence when they become aged, due to the fact that their vocational careers ended when they were young, or because they worked as part-time workers, not being able to perform the best of their abilities. Also, women regardless of their age or occupation, are usually responsible for looking after their spouse's parents, along with their own aged parents and spouse. This will pose a serious problem upon further aging of society.
     On the other hand, men's lives tend to be centered around their jobs, and when they become aged, they have no connection with local community; or they often have no pleasure apart from working, and are usually not independent in aspects of everyday life, such as housekeeping.
     In the future, in order to construct an active welfare community, we must support the participation in society and economic independence for women, and independence in terms of daily life for men, and we should prepare an environment where both men and women are able to get old with peace of mind.
   • [Practical Measures]

     1)

     As for caring for the elderly, we should bear in mind that family styles have changed and the number of women with jobs has increased. Based on those premises, we should swiftly establish a nursing system that will enable the aged to be independent. When doing so, women's opinions should be fully considered since most of the care is done by women at present. Also, we must be careful that the new nursing system does not make women solely responsible for care at home.

     2)

     In order that senior citizens may lead active lives, people should remain independent in their daily lives as long as possible, and keep in touch with the community. In order to achieve this, the following measures are desired: the development and generalization of equipment for daily care, which help senior citizens retain independence; information services for seniors; promoting participation of seniors in society by utilizing the experiences, ability and techniques which they gained over time.

3. Promotion of Joint Participation by Men and Women in Policy Decision-Making Processes
   • (1) Promoting the Participation of Women in Policy Decision-Making Processes
   • [Objectives]
   • The equal participation of women and men in policy decision-making processes is a democratic requirement. It is also a fundamental condition for achieving the goal of having women's interests taken into consideration and thus reflected in policies. When we look at international movements, the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies adopted by the United Nations Economic and Social Council in May of 1990 put a target of "30% female representation at decision-making level by the year 1995". In Scandinavian countries, this goal of female representation has already been achieved to a higher level than the targeted 30%. While in Japan, in spite of the fact that women's participation in society is generally growing rapidly, participation by women in policy decision-making processes is at a low level in both public and private sectors.
     In the central government and local public bodies, it is necessary to make women participate particularly in policy decision-making processes because half of the population influenced by the policies are women. Taking this into consideration, the Government made the goal of female participation in advisory councils and committees in 1977. They achieved the target of 15% female representation set by the New National Plan of Action towards the Year 2000 (First Revision) by the end of the fiscal year 1995 and have just come to set a revised goal. But further efforts for improvement are essential since the deadline set by the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women has already passed.
     It is also required in private enterprises and organizations to appoint women to policy decision-making positions without discrimination. Attention should be paid to the fact that the whole system would experience both tangible and intangible benefits through new ideas and values brought by the participation of people of diverse backgrounds in the policy decision-making process.
     When promoting participation by women in policy decision-making processes it is important for both public and private sectors to carry out well-planned schemes by analyzing the current status or points to be improved at regular intervals. An effective way to boost women's participation would be for respective organizations or groups to take "positive actions" (Ref:3(2)) pertinent to their own sectors by referring to examples in other countries where women's participation has progressed to a significant level. At the same time the importance of information concerning women's empowerment and human resources should not be neglected.
     Considering that the promotion of women's participation in policy decision-making processes still requires a great deal of efforts, measures must be taken in every area of our society to realize a society with joint participation by men and women.
   • [Practical Measures]

     1)

     The Cabinet is the highest decision-making organ in the administration. Therefore it is expected to appoint women actively to ministerial positions. Ministerial appointments of women will ensure women's participation in the Headquarters for the Promotion of Gender Equality (Ref: Part 3.1) which consists of all the Cabinet ministers aiming at the smooth and effective promotion of policies helping to build society with joint participation by men and women.
     Increased participation by women in political activities at the Diet and local government assemblies resulting in an increased number of female representatives is also expected. Political parties are also expected to diligently promote the participation of women in political decision-making processes as stated in the action plan of the Inter-Parliamentary Union(*) and the Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women.

     2)

     Female representation at national government advisory councils and committees with the achievement of the goals of the New National Plan of Action towards the Year 2000 (First Revision) shows the effectiveness of promotion by setting a clear target and by the constant analysis of the current status. We should continue promoting the participation of women in national councils and committees to achieve the government's new goals (20% as soon as possible before the end of year 2000; 30% within around a decade) without waiting until the deadline, having regular inquiries, analysis and publication of the current status of each council or committee. We also have to direct attention to the dissolution of councils and committees without female members, promoting the appointment of women recommended by groups, or recruitment of women from diverse backgrounds. In addition, practical measures should be taken to promote women's participation as committee members appointed by law, or various kinds of monitors commissioned by the government. Most of the prefectures and major cities designated by government ordinance are trying to boost women's participation in advisory councils and committees setting goal and timetable. They should continue pursuing the goals. Also, municipalities are expected to take similar measures and strengthen them with help and suggestions from prefectural governments.

     3)

     The government should continue its efforts in the recruitment and appointment of female civil servants, expansion of their work areas and development of their faculties by regular inquiries of the situation of employment and promotion, along with the publication of their result. Making plans to tackle problems should also be considered. (Plans for Gender Equality concerning Employment and Promotion of Civil Servants - tentatively named). The same approaches are expected at local public bodies. Further women's participation is also expected at organizations related to the government such as special corporations, as well as, higher educational institutions such as universities and research institutions.

     4)

     Private enterprises are not exempted from considering active appointment of women. Private organizations and groups like management associations and labor unions are very much asked to promote women's participation in their policy-making process.

     5)

     To provide a milieu to promote women's participation in policy decision-making processes, data base should be established which collects wide information on female human resources and which is accessible by those in need. It is also required to actively back up preparation of data bases at local public bodies and to examine the feasibility of their network system. Positive help should be given to female leaders training organized by local public bodies and private groups.

     Note*:

     Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): Established in 1889; an international organization consisting of members of the congress from various countries. There were 135 member countries as of April, 1996. The Japanese IPU group consists of all the parliamentary members from both the House of Councilors and the House of Representatives. At the 154th council held in March 1994 in Paris they adopted "IPU Action Plan to Correct the Imbalance between Men and Women in Political Arena".

   • (2) Studying the Measures of "Positive Actions"
   • [Objectives]
   • United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women states in Article 4, "Adoption by States Parties of temporary special measures aimed at accelerating de facto equality between men and women shall not be considered discrimination as defined in the present Convention."
     Measures of this type are generally called "positive actions" or "affirmative actions" which are considered to be effective methods of dissolving differentials between women and men created in the course of the history and promoting women's participation. Many foreign countries take various measures including legislation in various areas such as policy decision-making, employment, political activities, and education. Their diverse methods are, depending on the sector and organization, the following: to implement a quota system to enforce a set number or percentage of women's participation in a particular area; to introduce a goal and timetable system to urge women's participation while considering the actual current status of women and men with a target and a deadline; to raise social awareness of women's competence, and to prioritize the supply of information to women.
     In our country, as a typical example of measures of this kind, as stated in section (1), the central government and local public bodies are taking measures with clearly set goals and deadlines in order to promote women's participation in advisory councils and committees, with certain results. Japan should further carry out "positive actions", by paying regard to the respective areas and measures.
   • [Practical Measures]

     1)

     An integral studies should be made about the possibility of introducing "positive actions" afresh into Japan on the subjects like: potential areas of introduction, methods of introduction, cost, a system to assure their feasibility, etc. Possibility of their legislation should also be discussed by accommodating them to legal criteria such as the equality of people under the Constitution, with reference to examples of foreign countries which have already introduced "positive actions".

     2)

     Together with the above-mentioned studies, since there is high expectation for enterprises to apply active measures of introducing "positive actions" into employment in industries, studies should be carried out concerning creation of support systems such as guidelines and demonstrations of actual examples for the enterprises.

     3)

     It is also hoped that agricultural, fishery, and commercial cooperations and labor unions will develop concrete actions by setting goal and timetable to successfully make women join the cooperations and make them participate in their policy decision-making processes.

4. Reinforcing Efforts to Promote/Protect the Right to Live Without Discrimination by Gender
   • (1) Elimination of Violence against Women
   • [Objectives]
   • Violence against women infringes upon their human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is not a problem for women as individuals alone: it constitutes a critical social and structural problem that drives them down to more subordinate positions than men.
     Violence against women is not limited to physical harm. According to Article 1 of the "Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women" adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, the term "violence against women" means any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. In order to abolish violence against women, it is first necessary for each and every member of society to clearly recognize the definition of this term.
     Violence against women has implanted terror and uneasiness in their lives, restricting their activities by causing them to lose self-confidence. By having thus prevented gender equality from being attained, it now constitutes an obstacle to development and peace. Especially serious are the effects of violence to girls.
     Because violence against women has tended to be concealed due to women's emotional reluctance and social pressure against them to expose their suffering, enough effort hasn't always been made so far. In recent years, however, there has been a strong awareness of violence against women in the international community. In the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing last year, this problem was pointed out as one of the critical areas of concern, and effective efforts to abolish it were urged. In Japan, violence against women is being increasingly revealed due to initiatives by NGOs and such. Efforts are required to abolish violence against not only Japanese but also foreign women, based upon reflections on the problem of the so-called comfort women, whose honor and dignity have long since been seriously damaged.
     In these circumstances, it has become necessary at home to study without delay to abolish not only sexual crimes such as the rape, and indecent assault and engagement in prostitution, but also sexual harassment in the workplace, (*) and violence at home and other private places. In the study, sufficient consideration should also be given to violence against foreign women living in Japan. It will also be necessary to cooperate with the international community in making these efforts to eradicate violence against women.

     Note*:

     Sexual harassment: To adopt sexually abusive language or behavior against another's will and, depending on how the other responds to it, to give a certain disadvantage regarding work; or to remarkably deteriorate the working environment by repeating such speech or conduct (a concept according to the "Report from the Society for the Research of Management and Communication Gaps regarding the Employment of Women" (on a survey requested by the Ministry of Labor) published in October 1993)

   • [Practical Measures]

     1)

     It is necessary to cope with violence against women of all sorts, including sexual crimes such as rape, sexual cruelty to girls, engagement in prostitution, and violence performed by husbands and so on, effectively from the standpoint of securing women's rights. Accordingly, from the viewpoint of the prevention of sexual crimes and cruelty/obscene acts on children and severely coping with sexual crimes, current laws and systems concerned that cover from preventive activities to ex post facto relief should be compositely examined. Existing provisions for the punishment of sexual crimes should be reviewed or new legal measures should be adopted as needed. It is also necessary to seek to secure organic cooperation among the agencies concerned. In all cases, it is necessary to give full consideration to the protection of privacy of injured women.

     2)

     In the light of some of the conditions of the engagement in prostitution, that are peculiar to this day, i.e. that the crime has come to be committed more cleverly and in more diverse manners by crime syndicates, that younger women have increasingly become victims, and that engagement in prostitution has occurred more extensively over the border as travelers have begun to take prostitutes abroad, and it is hoped that composite and positive efforts to cope with it can be made from the viewpoint of securing women's rights both in and out of the country.
     In particular, it is desired that the taking of child prostitutes be coped with severely from an additional viewpoint of executing the Convention on the Rights of the Child more effectively. Currently in Japan, while legal action (i.e. punishment according to the provision for rape in the Criminal Law Act) is taken when a man obtains carnal knowledge of a female person under 13 years of age as a prostitute, crimes against other children are punishable under the regulations of local public bodies concerned alone. Recently, an increasing number of girls have been suffering from sexual abuse through the intermediation of "telephone clubs" and so on. Also, taking child prostitute especially in Southeast Asia has become an international problem. In order to effectively cope with this new problem of taking child prostitute at home and abroad, it is important to improve sex education for children and to make the parents with girls more aware so that girls may respect their own human rights and studies should be made on the punishment of the buyers, from the viewpoint of protection of girls. It should be done based on an understanding of how the current laws are being applied, and of the trend of efforts being made by international organizations and foreign governments.
     In order to study various problems concerning engagement in prostitution from the new viewpoints of securing women's rights and realizing a gender-equal society, the system addressing the problems should be reviewed. In the review, how this Council and the Prostitution Countermeasures Council should be related should also be discussed.

     3)

     For those women who have been thrown into critical conditions due to violence, it is necessary to assist them in attaining socioeconomic independence by seeking to give relief to them. They should immediately be separated from their attackers and protected for a temporary period. At the same time, they should be accepted at rehabilitative facilities where they can be cured and receive consultation.
     Therefore, public facilities that have the function to provide women with emergency temporary protection should be improved. At the same time, their activities should be reviewed in the light of violence against women as it is now. Necessary measures should be taken as appropriate. As for assistance for injured women, on the other hand, NGOs have performed an important part by staging positive activities of various types. Consequently, it is expected that consultation/relief facilities (including shelters) run by these organizations shall be provided with necessary information and financial assistance, and their recognition by the whole society enhanced.
     It will be necessary to reinforce these various efforts, including relief of those injured by violence, even more for foreign women staying in Japan so that their human rights may be fully secured.

     4)

     Concerning the handling of actual cases of violence against women, it is necessary to improve the training of such people as police officers, the staff of prosecutors office /correctional officers, immigration control officers, and medical/welfare staff who are directly concerned with investigation, prosecution, court procedure, consultation, and relief from the viewpoint of protecting women's rights, and to establish guidelines for treating victims.
     It is also necessary to create an environment in which injured women can easily appeal to the law by appointing special /female staff or by training the existing male and female staff. In order to handle such cases even more effectively, human resources staff should be educated with special knowledge on each field concerning the relief of victims. It is also necessary to offer extensive information necessary for victims, such as where to make contact with consulting/relief organizations.
     At the same time, every opportunity should be seized to enlighten the people on the importance of the elimination of violence against women so that it may infiltrate into the minds of each member of society. People must be strictly prohibited from easily attributing the cases to the women who were injured in them. Concerning publicity/enlightenment, the "Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women" which expresses the determination of the international community to abolish violence against women, should be made widely known by the use of phrases that can be easily understood by everyone.
     Further, it is necessary to pursue investigations into the causes of violence against women, its effects on the victims, effective measures to prevent it from recurring through close cooperation between public organizations and NGOs.

     5)

     As for sexual harassment, which is perceived very differently by women and men, it is especially important to enhance training and learning opportunities to enlighten men on it in the workplace like companies, schools and others. It is also important to prepare and utilize a manual for preventing sexual harassment. Still another important thing is to establish a system of giving advice and receiving complaints when problems actually take place. It will be necessary in the future to study effective measures, including legal ones, to cope with sexual harassment.

     6)

     We should positively support international organizations and NGOs endeavoring to eliminate violence against women. Especially, at the UNIFEM, they are now considering the creation of a fund to abolish violence against women based on a resolution proposed by Japan. It is necessary, therefore, to make positive contributions to the establishment and operation of the fund by making financial contributions. It is also expected that we will positively support NGOs at home and abroad that are cooperating with each other in making active efforts to eliminate violence against women.

   • (2) Promoting/Protecting Human Rights in the Media
   • [Objectives]
   • Freedom of expression, a right guaranteed by the constitution, should be respected. However, it is not guaranteed without reserve because those expressions that infringe upon human rights (which should similarly be respected) must not be allowed. Not only persons engaged in media but the whole society should recognize this. Those who are to take advantage of the freedom of expression are also to shoulder the responsibility for the full consideration of the human rights of the people used to convey these expressions and the freedom of the general public not to encounter sexual/violent expressions. Also, the possibility cannot be denied that information which stresses only the sexual aspect of women or uncritically conveys violence against women prevents young people from growing soundly and actually can cause sex crimes. Moreover, information that markets sex and currently overflows into the everyday lives of people in Japan is especially striking among countries of the international community. This has seriously degraded our society.
     If gender-based stereotyping is communicated through the media, people's consciousness and behavior, along with the norms and culture in society are greatly influenced, reducing the possibility of people being able to live in various ways without being shackled by gender. Especially at present when both women and men show stronger tendencies to seek to live with individuality, those stereotypes act as serious obstacles to selecting their own ways of life. The media is expected to play a positive role in altering stereotyped gender roles by communicating the ever-changing real images of women and men.
     It is expected that info-communications will further advance as we approach the 21st century. Information brought by various media has a latent but significant possibility of helping women in their efforts at empowerment and accelerating change in people's consciousness and behavior in the whole society. Therefore, we would like to expect that the media will become aware of their own social influence and responsibility and play a major part in the effort to realize a gender-equal society.
   • [Practical Measures]

     1)

     The media is expected to further promote independent efforts to rectify the commercialization of sex and obscene expressions, as well as to make social considerations through strictly reviewing their standards for programs, moral rules and so on. They should also study, with reference to efforts being made in other countries, what measures should be taken to promote respect for human rights in the media and to keep media which represents sex/violence away from young people and others who do not wish to come in contact with it.

     2)

     Obscene/violent expressions involving children, such as child pornography, seriously infringe upon the human rights of children, regardless of the intention of the child actors themselves. It is necessary, therefore, to cope with it even more strictly than obscene/violent expressions involving adults. After grasping what obscene/violent expressions involving children are actually being carried out now, an effective action should be studied based on opinions of various groups in the nation. In the meantime, the media is expected to promote self-regulation and investigate to take effective measures.

     3)

     Endeavors should be made to strictly cope with (under current laws) the transmission of obscene information or the commercialization of sex using new media, represented by the Internet. It is also hoped that providers independently establish and observe rules and that information providers set up a code of ethics. Particularly concerning the Internet, while information is instantly transmitted across the border, the level of perceived obscenity varies from country to country. Therefore, it is necessary to urgently study how to effectively regulate its operation in light of the characteristics of the medium.

     4)

     It is necessary to infiltrate various images of women and men without stereotypes based on gender into society. Guidelines on the representation of women and men should be established, especially for information, including publications, provided by public organizations. It is also hoped that private media make independent efforts to adopt images of women and men free of gender-based stereotyping.

     5)

     It is hoped that commercialization of sex, obscene expressions, stereotyped expressions based on gender roles and the like can be remedied as more and more women participate in all stages of operation in the media including planning, production and editing. Therefore, it is also hoped that media-related companies and organizations make efforts to employ women, especially in the policy decision-making sections. People involved in the media should be sufficiently trained, in order to deepen their understanding of women's rights and gender-sensitive perspectives.

     6)

     In order to establish human rights in the media, it is desirable for viewers/listeners opinions to be exchanged extensively. Therefore, it is expected that senders and recipients of media will have even more and better opportunities to exchange opinions. We would like to expect NGOs that monitor and analyze the media everyday to play an important part in expression and communication of opinions or requests from recipients. Furthermore, studies should be made on the best method of evaluation by third parties such as complaints agencies established in the future.

   • (3) Establishing Reproductive Health/Rights
   • [Objectives]
   • Women's ability to enjoy health, premised on independent decisions of their own bodies, is the basis for the empowerment of women and a premise for the realization of a gender-equal society. Health is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity but is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.
     A woman's body is equipped with the mechanism for pregnancy and childbirth. Therefore, she is, through her life cycle, confronted with health problems that are different from those of a man. At the International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo in September 1994, the concept of reproductive health/rights was advocated, attracting international attention. This concept was positioned as a human right of women at the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in September of the following year.
     Reproductive health is a concept that guarantees the right of individuals, especially women, to self-determination concerning his/her health, throughout his/her life cycle. Reproductive rights support the idea that reproductive health is a basic human right for every individual. The focus of reproductive health/rights consists of the freedom to decide if, when and how often one would like to have a child, safe and satisfying sexual relationships, safe pregnancy and healthy childbirth and upbringing of children. In connection to these, a wide range of questions concerning sex and reproduction with which a woman may face in her life are discussed, such as health problems at puberty and menopause, sterility, safe birth control, abortion, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and the treatment of patients while respecting their human rights.
     It is pointed out that, in Japan, so far, great interest has been taken in women's health from the viewpoint of delivering her children and bringing them up, without sufficient consideration always being given to her personal health or her self-determination concerning it. For the future, it is hoped that a composite policy is established with consideration for the health of the woman throughout her life cycle in view of her reproductive health/rights, and encouraging the penetration of the idea throughout society.
     In recent years, an increasing number of couples have been having fewer children in Japan. As seen from the fact that the numbers of children that couples want are very different from those they actually have, the tendency of young people to avoid childbirth or, in some cases, even marriage, because of the psychological, physical and/or economic burdens associated with child birth and upbringing can be found in the background of this phenomenon. On the other hand, the deeply-rooted idea that a woman attains womanhood only after giving birth to children, creates social pressure, under which not a small number of women suffer. Both of these phenomena can be considered indications that reproductive health/rights are not yet fully guaranteed.
     It is necessary to prepare a social/economic environment, including support for the reconciliation of work and family life described in 2(3), above, in which people can give birth to and raise children without anxiety so that having children may mean happiness for both men and women because they have been able to give birth to and raise the children based on the freedom of choice. In the preparation, full consideration is also necessary for persons who do not or cannot have children.
   • [Practical Measures]

     1)

     To ensure the health of women throughout their life cycles, we should compositely study what the current laws and institutions related to women's health should be in the future. Laws providing for reproductive health should be established as needed.
     At present, it is necessary to further promote the establishment of an environment ensuring women to freely make choices/decisions concerning their own health based on exact information, throughout their lives. Accordingly, the informed consent given by a patient during medical treatment should be further generalized; choices concerning birth control should be increased; and the treatment system/services of treatment, consultation and support should be improved.

     2)

     Motherhood (*1) has an important social function. It should, therefore, be protected by the whole society. At the same time, every opportunity should be seized to infiltrate through the society the understanding that motherhood must not become a reason for discrimination against any women. Concerning measures for a child and mother's health, their medical examinations, guidance/consultation regarding health, and medical support should be further improved. Especially, in order to secure the health of the mother and child during the perinatal period, it is necessary to provide thorough medical services and promote further research and studies.

     3)

     It is necessary to make efforts to spread the correct knowledge and understanding of the problems that threaten women's health, such as HIV(*2)/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and health problems during puberty and menopause. Efforts to further improve measures taken at each stage, including prevention, medical examination, consultation and treatment are also necessary.
     To ensure that the simple introduction of reproduction technology -which has been rapidly developing in recent years- does not injure the mental and physical health and human dignity of women, medical people involved are expected to use prudence and disclose relevant information to the public more frequently.

     4)

     It is necessary to seize every opportunity to make the concept of reproductive health/rights strike root in society. From childhood through adulthood education at school, home, and social education should be furthered to instill proper knowledge about sex based on gender equality and respect of women's self-determination concerning sex.

     Note:

      

     (*1)

     Motherhood: a concept conceived by focusing on actualized female functions of pregnancy, delivery and nursing.

     (*2)

     HIV: human immunodeficiency virus; AIDS is a disease with a cellular immunodeficiency state after becoming infected with this virus.

   • (4) Promotion of Gender Equality to Open the Way for a Diversity of Choices through Enrichment of Education and Learning
   • [Objectives]
   • Education at home, school, in the community, and at the workplace plays an extremely important role in helping to make the gender-equality and respect for human rights take root in the minds of people, and to empower women in every field of society so they can fulfill their responsibilities. It also encourages men to participate more in family/community activities, and helps gender equality and respect for women's rights strike home to everyone.
     Even today, one of the largest obstacles to the realization of a gender-equal society is the idea of stereotyped roles based on gender formed over a long period of time and now fixed in the minds of people. Unless this idea, which remains deeply rooted in the minds of both women and men, is corrected, it will become difficult to attain true gender equality based on the awareness of human rights. It is necessary for society to seek to improve education in order to promote gender equality during the ten years from 1995 which have been designated as the U.N. Decade for Human Rights Education. Efforts should be made to cooperate with people making various efforts related to the campaign.
     Elimination of the idea of gender-based stereotyped roles from the minds of people and establishments of the view of gender equality based on the awareness of human rights would not only change the ways in which people behave, but form a great force to change various systems and practices of society to which they belong.
     In recent years, people have come to show an increasingly strong tendency to try to find out how to live freely without being shackled by gender-related stereotypes in their quest of mental happiness and a life worth living. Also, one is required to ever improve his/her knowledge and skills, regardless of gender, not only in the workplace but also at home and in the community, against a background of maturing and internationalizing economic activities, a changing industrial structure, informatization and so on. These trends to urge gender equality in each field of the society. Therefore, it has become even more important to be able to provide a variety of learning opportunities that can meet the needs for people of all age groups.
   • [Practical Measures]

     1)

     Based on the understanding that, depending much on what forms of discipline, attitudes towards education and lifestyles that parents maintain at home, their children develop views of gender equality or ideas of stereotyped roles based on gender. Attention must be paid so that children may develop their own personalities without being shackled by their gender. While endeavoring to improve opportunities for parents to learn about education in the home and to improve the quality of advice and information offered to them, it is particularly necessary to invite men to participate in family activities by, for example, helping fathers with jobs in their efforts to participate in educating of their children.

     2)

     It is necessary to seek to improve the instructions of respect for human rights, equality and the mutual cooperation and understanding of both sexes provided at school.
     It is necessary to improve education during teacher training and in-service training for teachers, in order to deepen their understanding of gender equality. Also, it is necessary to prepare materials for teachers and develop teaching materials according to the stages of development of the students that may help teachers correctly communicate the ideas of respecting for human rights and gender equality. The contents of textbooks and teaching materials concerning the respect for human rights and gender equality are expected to be improved even more, with full consideration given during their preparation so that they do not promote stereotyped gender roles.
     It is hoped that various customs and practices at school in which girls and boys are separated more than necessary will be reviewed so that stereotyped gender roles are not promoted.

     3)

     It is considered desirable to maintain an adequate balance between female and male teachers for each subject. Therefore, when selecting future courses, students wishing to be teachers need to be given advice free of stereotypes on the educational departments or be given positive information pertaining to fields of study leading to subjects for which there have only been a small number of teachers of their sex thus far.
     Also, it is necessary to promote female participation in the policy decision-making process in schools. Concerning PTA activities, it is hoped that men will participate more positively; PTA activities should be staged in ways in which working women and men can also find it easy to participate; and more women should participate as executives.

     4)

     In the guidance of students into their courses, consideration should be given so that they may come to possess the ability to choose their own courses independently based on their own consideration on the lives they want to lead along with the purposes for the future worked out by themselves. Especially when a girl chooses her courses, her teachers, parents and other people who give advice to her should not be slaves to stereotypes like boy-oriented or girl-oriented courses of study, but should make efforts to give her a wide range of information on majors, industries and professions. Consideration should also be given to future changes in socioeconomic conditions when making the selections.
     It is also necessary to support students' and workers' efforts to work out plans to develop their professional abilities in stages, systematically based on the design of their profession prepared independently by themselves from proper information on a wide range of choices including employment, NPO and starting a business.

     5)

     It is hoped that women's studies, which are attempts to reconstruct the existing educational system from women's point of view, will be promoted further at higher educational institutions including colleges and universities in the future while considering the training of men as researchers in the same field of study. The gender-sensitive perspective is expected to be incorporated into education and researches in each division of learning. Efforts should be made to return the achievements of women's studies, gender studies to society by making the best use of them in a wide range of fields including program development in social education.

     6)

     In social education, it is important to make synthetic efforts to promote learning of gender equality in communities by providing learning opportunities, researching educational programs, developing teaching materials and training for special leaders so that women and men in the communities may increase their respect for human rights and enhance their awareness of gender equality throughout their lives.

     7)

     At National Women's Education Centre, public/private women's education centers and centers for women in local communities, women not only can gain access to various information and learning opportunities: the facilities, as bases of women's activities, also provide women's groups and organizations with precious places where they can stage independent activities and conduct various exchanges. Personnel at the facilities engage in giving advice to help women solve their problems and in research studies from their own viewpoints. Therefore, we should like to expect that in the future, women's bases performing these roles will be further improved and that new ones will be installed so that they may cover the whole country. Organic cooperation among them will be pursued.
     Also, these facilities are expected to promote the construction of a national network of information on women by making the most of state-of-the-art media including the Internet, to set contemporary issues in order to cope with changes in the economy and society, to provide learning opportunities in accordance with actual conditions in their communities and to improve the quality of their advice, research and information. In addition, it is hoped that these facilities will create an environment and stage activities which may make men feel comfortable using them also.

     8)

     From the viewpoint of constructing a flexible system in which people can engage alternately in work and social activities such as working in a profession and going to school alternately throughout their lives (recurrent education), it would be necessary to provide more access to various schools by encouraging colleges and universities to receive more workers as students and by preparing to expand the University of the Air's coverage and establishing credit-system upper secondary schools. Functions of schools as places in the communities for residents to continue learning throughout their lives should also be further improved by enhancing the university extension courses and by promoting the access to school facilities. Further, a system helping to make the most of various learning activities should be established by promoting the recognition of already obtained credits given according to skill evaluation. This social education should be utilized in the form of volunteer activities, etc.

5. Contributing to the "Equality, Development and Peace" of the Global Community
   • (1) Infiltrating International Norms and Standards into Japan
   • [Objectives]
   • Since the International Women's Year in 1975, Japan has coped with women's problems by following international movements. During this period, the formation of a gender-equal society has been promoted at home as various international treaties including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the action programs adopted by four World Conferences on Women and other international norms and standards, and guidelines for concrete efforts to advance women's status have borne various fruits in various fields. However, it has been pointed out that some international norms and standards, brought into Japan have not produced the desired results.
     In recent years, informatization and globalization have further advanced in all fields of social activities such as politics, economies and culture. Women's problems in the international community and those at home have also become even more closely related, with a common basis having been formed. In solving domestic problems now, we also have to cope with them from a global point of view.
     Further improvements in efforts are expected to bring about a gender-equal society at home while making the best use of achievements and experiences of the international community in the challenge to solve women's problems.
   • [Practical Measures]

     1)

     While making endeavors to positively observe and respond to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, we should seek to infiltrate it more into the domestic community by adopting expressions everyone can easily understand. Full consideration also needs to be given to such international movements as the discussion concerning the preparation of the Optional Protocol(*) to make the Convention still more effective.

     2)

     In order to fully achieve the expected aims of international treaties for the promotion of gender equality ratified by our country, efforts should be improved and the contents of the treaties should be infiltrated throughout the society. It is especially necessary to make positive efforts to observe the Convention on the Rights of the Child which was recently ratified as well as ILO Convention No. 156, and to make their contents widely known.

     3)

     We should positively cope with international treaties deeply concerned with women that have not yet been ratified in Japan, such as ILO conventions, from the viewpoint of promoting gender equality.

     4)

     We should seek to take the Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women immediately into our domestic measures. Also, we should positively contribute to the creation of an international action program to be adopted by the next World Conference on Women to be held in 2000.

     Note*:

     Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women: An international document concerning a system in which individuals whose rights as guaranteed by the treaty have been infringed upon can request relief directly to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

   • (2) Contributing towards "Equality, Development and Peace"
   • [Objectives]
   • The Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women again confirms that to improve women's status, it is indispensable to attain the three objectives of equality, development and peace and that these three values function in a body.
     Even today, large numbers of women and children are exposed to poverty and famine on earth, with their human rights being threatened. In some regions, this state is aggravated further as armed conflicts continue. The maintenance of peace is thus a basic condition necessary for equality and development to be attained. Japan must make constant contributions towards world peace, as set forth in our constitution. In performing a positive role in realizing and establishing peace in the international community, it must not be forgotten that Japan is expected to act based on reflection upon Japanese history and the only country which suffered from atomic bombings.
     Concerning development, women are not only beneficiaries but also important developers. In order to realize well-balanced sustainable economic, social and human development, it is indispensable for both women and men to participate in development and to enjoy the fruits of development.
     In order to prepare the way for the attainment of "equality, development and peace" in a global society, it is necessary to establish partnerships between women and men, government and NGOs, and across international borders. We can open the way to the 21st century through cooperation aimed at empowering women and rectifying the differentials between sexes so that women can live better their whole life according to their local conditions.
   • [Practical Measures]

     1)

     Positive cooperation and contribution should be extended to activities working to improve the status of women in the world staged by U.N. organizations. Especially to follow up on the Fourth World Conference on Women, we should participate in and contribute to activities of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, main actors in the effort. Also, we should continue to attach importance to contributions to various U.N. funds related to women and to support the activities held by other international organizations and regional levels. In addition, it is necessary for us to improve/strengthen our support for NGOs at home and abroad.

     2)

     At international organs and meetings for the promotion of peace we should advance the participation of women in activities such as the peaceful settlement of disputes, preventive diplomacy, and peace keeping. In these cases, we should attach importance to participation by women in the decision-making process. At the same time, we should also seek to train women for these activities.
     Also, because women and children represent approximately 80% of refugees, we should extend contributions to: the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which seeks to settle refugee problems while providing refugees with international protection and support; and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which aims at long-term and sustainable human development by saving lives, and protecting children.
     In addition, it is necessary for us to support NGOs at home and overseas which cooperate in the maintenance of peace, human assistance, protection/rehabilitation of injured women and children.

     3)

     It is necessary to promote studies on what physical, psychological, economic and social effects of armed conflicts have on women with gender-sensitive perspective and to present the findings of the studies to the general public. We should foster a peaceful culture towards the 21st century through education of children. Furthermore, we should endeavor to promote/protect human rights as the basis of peace at home and abroad by steadily promoting measures related to the United Nations Decade of Human Rights Education.

     4)

     In international cooperation, we should promote comprehensive efforts based on gender equality by reinforcing those viewpoints sensitive to gender, especially in the Women in Development (WID) Initiative(*1) and Global Issues Initiative on Population and AIDS (GII)"(*2) through ensuring women's participation in all stages of the programs including planning, execution and evaluation. In the efforts, it is necessary for us to continue to attach importance to the eradication of poverty, improvement of education and raising of health levels, the greatest concerns for women in developing countries, and to give full consideration to the empowerment of women by assisting them in starting businesses and promoting information businesses.
     Also, it is necessary to make efforts to improve the understanding of WID by people engaged in international cooperation and, at the same time, to seek to further improve our system of executing international cooperation by improving the quality and quantity of persons engaged in it and by training specialists in women's problems who are familiar with the country's situation. In addition, it is important to support activities by Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, in which a rapidly increasing number of women have come to participate, and to strengthen our cooperation with NGOs which stage various activities overseas.

     5)

     It is necessary to promote women's participation in the decision-making process in each stage of projects related to the environment, i.e. the planning, execution and evaluation stages. In the design of policies and programs for sustainable development, full consideration needs to be given to their effects on women.
     In addition, we should promote international cooperation on environmental problems while seeking to cooperate with international organizations and NGOs at home and overseas.

     6)

     The national government, local public bodies and NGOs are expected to endeavor at their respective levels to further increase the amount of international information and the number of human exchanges, which promote mutual trust and friendship and form a base for peace and stability. It is necessary, therefore, to make efforts to construct information networks on an international level by making the most of new media forms such as the Internet, and to further promote international cooperation projects related to women.

     Note:

      

     (*1)

     Women in Development (WID) Initiative: Announced at the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing) in September 1995; an international contribution to the empowerment of women, making a comprehensive effort to expand development assistance for the promotion of women's participation, particularly in educational, health and economic/social activities.