Japan’s women lawmakers have launched a rare cross-party push to expand women’s toilet facilities in parliament, arguing that rising representation has exposed how the male-dominated institution has failed to adapt.
Nearly 60 women legislators, including prime minister Sanae Takaichi, have submitted a petition calling for more women’s restrooms in the National Diet building in Tokyo.
At present, just one restroom with two cubicles is located near the main plenary hall for the 73 women serving in the House of Representatives.
“Before the main assembly session, a truly large number of female lawmakers line up in front of the women’s restroom,” said Yasuko Komiyama, a member of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP).
The petition, backed by 58 women from seven parties and independent groups, warns that the shortage is “a critical issue that could potentially impact the conduct of proceedings and the performance of duties”.
It was submitted earlier this month to Yasukazu Hamada, chair of the lower house committee on rules and administration.
Japan elected its first woman prime minister last year, and the most recent election increased the number of women in the lower house from 45 to more than 70.
Even so, women still hold under 16 per cent of the seats in the chamber, formally known as the House of Representatives, the more powerful lower house of the National Diet, Japan’s parliament.
The imbalance is reflected in the building’s facilities. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, the lower house has 12 men’s toilets with 67 stalls, compared with nine women’s restrooms containing a total of 22 cubicles, reported AFP.
In a Facebook post, Ms Komiyama said the issue affects not only women lawmakers but also women working in parliament and a growing number of female journalists. Another opposition MP, Tomoe Ishii, wrote on Instagram that the shortage has “long been an issue”.
“There is a prevailing reluctance to raise the issue of adding more women’s restrooms in workplaces and schools within society,” she added.
The Diet building itself reflects an earlier era. Completed in 1936, it predated women’s suffrage in Japan by almost a decade; women gained the right to vote in 1945, with the first female lawmaker elected the following year.
Japan remains a culturally conservative society where politics, business and media have long been dominated by men.
The country ranked 118th out of 148 in the World Economic Forum’s latest Global Gender Gap Index. Women candidates have also reported facing sexist remarks during election campaigns, including being told they should stay at home to raise children.
The government has said it aims for women to occupy at least 30 per cent of legislative seats.
Ms Takaichi, 64, previously said she wanted “Nordic” levels of gender balance in cabinet, but appointed only two other women to her 19-member team. She has spoken openly about menopause and women’s health, while also holding socially conservative views on issues such as family law and imperial succession.
Ms Komiyama said the pressure for more women’s toilets was both a sign of progress and a reminder of how far Japan still has to go.
“In a way, this symbolises how the number of female lawmakers has increased,” she said, adding that she hoped it would lead to wider equality beyond parliament.
