Nearly 60 women lawmakers in Japan, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, have submitted a formal petition calling for an increase in women’s restroom facilities within the National Diet building, citing improved female representation in parliament.
The cross-party appeal highlights a practical challenge stemming from long-standing infrastructure that no longer reflects the changing composition of Japan’s legislature. While the number of women elected to public office has risen in recent years and with Takaichi becoming Japan’s first female prime minister in October politics in the country remains heavily male-dominated.
According to the petition, there is only one women’s restroom with two cubicles located near the main plenary chamber of the lower house, despite 73 women being elected to the chamber.
“Before plenary sessions begin, many women lawmakers are forced to queue for long periods outside the restroom,” said Yasuko Komiyama of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party.
Komiyama was speaking after submitting the petition earlier this month to Yasukazu Hamada, chair of the lower house committee on rules and administration. The appeal was signed by 58 women lawmakers from across the political spectrum.
A Building Designed for a Different Era
The National Diet building was completed in 1936, nearly a decade before Japanese women gained the right to vote in December 1945 following the country’s defeat in World War II. As a result, its facilities reflect an era when women’s participation in politics was minimal.
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, the lower house building currently contains 12 men’s restrooms with 67 stalls, compared to nine women’s facilities with a total of just 22 cubicles.
The petition comes against the backdrop of Japan’s persistent gender gap. The country ranked 118th out of 148 nations in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report this year. Women also remain significantly under-represented in business leadership and the media.
Progress and Persistent Challenges
Female candidates in Japan have long reported facing gender-based stereotypes during election campaigns, including remarks suggesting they should remain at home to care for children.
In the 2024 general election, 73 women were elected to the 465-seat lower house up from 45 in the previous parliament though one has since stepped down. The upper house currently has 74 women among its 248 members. The government has set a target of achieving at least 30 percent female representation in legislative bodies.
Prime Minister Takaichi, who has previously expressed admiration for former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, had pledged to pursue “Nordic-style” gender balance in government. However, her 19-member cabinet includes only two other women.
While Takaichi has spoken openly about women’s health issues, including her own experience with menopause, she is widely viewed as socially conservative. She opposes reforms to a 19th-century law requiring married couples to share a surname and supports maintaining male-only succession within the imperial family.
Komiyama said the growing demand for women’s restroom facilities is both a sign of progress and a reminder of the broader work still needed to achieve gender equality in Japan.
“In a way, this symbolises the increase in female lawmakers,” she said, expressing hope that similar progress would follow in other areas of Japanese society.
