The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) recently traveled with a delegation of Georgetown Ambassadors for Women, Peace and Security to Tokyo, Japan, for a series of meetings with government, diplomatic, and civil society partners.
The intensive schedule and high-powered meetings gave our delegation, led by GIWPS Executive Director Ambassador Melanne Verveer, a good perspective on Japan’s leadership on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and key gender issues in Japan, and also reaffirmed the Institute’s commitment to our Japanese partners.
WPS: A National Priority for Japan
We sat down with Japan’s Former Foreign Minister and current head of Japan’s Parliamentary Caucus on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), H.E. Yoko Kamikawa. She explained why WPS had become a priority issue for Japan and how she raised this issue in all her bilateral meetings with other government counterparts during her tenure as foreign minister. She also discussed the progress that has been made to integrate WPS across government, especially in disaster risk reduction. H.E. Kamikawa spoke of her hopes for the future, including getting a WPS law through the Diet and expanding the parliamentary network on WPS globally.
We also met with Tatsuhiko Furumoto, who leads gender mainstreaming efforts across Japan’s Foreign Ministry, to learn how WPS is being institutionalized at the working level.
Peacebuilding
We heard from the leadership of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Miyazaki Katsura, Oi Ayako, and Keiko Mizoe, about their work in peacebuilding and gender equality. They spoke of their efforts to integrate gender perspectives into JICA’s projects with foreign government counterparts, with a focus on increasing women’s participation in disaster prevention and response.
We also heard from the President of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), Dr. Atsushi Sunami, about his role in conflict mediation. Several SPF colleagues detailed initiatives on peacebuilding in Southern Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, including promoting healthy masculinities in post-conflict contexts and advancing women’s economic empowerment.
Women’s Political Participation
On women’s political participation, which is low in Japan, we met with key parliamentarians and members of the WPS Caucus. Parliamentarians Rui Matsukawa & Dr. Ayano Kunimitsu (Sato) addressed economic priorities and the ongoing debate about whether to increase the defense budget to 3% of GDP (following a recent increase to 2%). They also highlighted social issues impacting women, such as a Japanese law that requires married couples to adopt the same surname—which in practice is almost always the man’s.
We also spoke with the senior political writer of one of Japan’s leading newspapers, Noriko Akiyama, about her latest book on the difference women politicians make in society.
Womenomics & Women’s Role in the Economy
We had a series of meetings about women’s participation in Japan’s economy. We heard from the woman who was responsible for getting the Japanese government to focus on women’s economic participation in order to end the country’s stagflation. Kathy Matsui, the author of the seminal paper on “womenomics” that influenced former Prime Minister Abe, spoke about the positive impact of parental leave and transparency around corporate diversity.
President of Microsoft Japan, Miki Tsusaka, and Country Manager of LinkedIn Japan, Wakana Tanaka, shared their personal reflections about the current state of the workforce and the need for male bosses to encourage female employees to say yes to promotions and to make promotions based on merit and not hours worked.
Sustainability
The CEO of the largest ocean conservation organization, Sailors for the Sea, met with our delegation to discuss initiatives to achieve sustainability by improving the marine environment. Dr. Minako Iue highlighted efforts to promote a more sustainable seafood industry and the consumption of sustainable seafood. She underscored women’s underrepresentation in fisheries and the importance of a gendered approach in the organization’s mission.
Georgetown’s Sister University in Japan
Our delegation of Georgetown Ambassadors visited Sophia University, a Jesuit school and Georgetown University’s sister school in Japan. We were the first delegation—ever—to meet with the new president of Sophia University, Miki Sugimura, who is the first woman president in the university’s history. We were briefed by senior leaders and faculty members who spoke about their efforts to increase the number of women in leadership roles, their work with UNESCO, and their initiatives to promote DEI.
We left Japan feeling grateful for the country’s efforts to promote WPS and hopeful for continued friendship and partnership in this work.
