This legislation passed in 1999, this bill is one of 16 "basic laws" that are enacted in order to "address fundamental issues of the state system creating connections between the Constitution" in Japan and the legislative process itself. It clearly shows dramatic progress in the rights and power of women in Japanese society and government.
A brief comparison of Japan policies with U.S. policies: In Chapter 3, Gelb compares Japan and the U.S. On the issue of domestic violence; in the U.S. (p. 66) in 1994, Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act, "the most significant law ever passed in this policy area," she asserts. The passage of this landmark act was due to "feminist advocacy, key congressional support, and widespread public discourse," she added (p. 69). In Japan, meanwhile, domestic violence legislation called the Law for Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of Victims passed in 2001, which Gelb says shows that "Japan is now conforming to other efforts" towards protecting women which were originally "undertaken by the international community."
Gelb reviews reproductive rights policies in the U.S. And in Japan in Chapter 4; the biggest ruling in U.S. judicial history regarding reproductive rights of course was Roe v. Wade in 1973, which basically legalized abortion. In Japan, abortion had been basically legal and widely available following the end of WWII; and while contraception was readily available in the U.S., it was not the same in Japan (p. 83). In fact, until 1990, Japan was the only nation...
And on page 97 the author points out that while opposition to abortion in the U.S. is based on "religious or moral" considerations, no such objections are raised in Japan (albeit, Buddhist temples have tried to make Japanese women who get abortions feel guilty by "inducing" them to purchase memorials to the "departed souls of dead infants."
As to equal employment policies for women in Japan, there are powerful "governmental and society actors" who try to block or limit women having pay and jobs on a par with men. However, even those women in Japan have been far less successful in passing legislation for equal employment, the issue has been kept "in the forefront" and progress has been made thanks to "the activism of feminist litigants, lawyers and advocates." In the U.S. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (a component of the Civil Rights Act of 1964) has created "almost unequalled opportunities for women in the professions and managerial ranks."
What points did Gelb miss in her book? She might have provided in-dept biographies of key women who made changes happen in both Japan and the U.S.; and she might well have shown what key actions women must take and what issues they are wise to focus on in both countries for the coming years.
Works Cited
Gelb, Joyce. 2003. Gender Policies in Japan and the United States: Comparing Women's
Movements, Rights and Politics. New York: Palgrave…
