Japan: Video shows harassment local politicians face in real life

[RandySF]

A 29-year-old woman decides to run for a seat in a local assembly after doing volunteer help in child rearing and nursing care, only to be victimized by an abusive constituent and a heavyweight politician.

She is hospitalized after being exhausted physically and mentally.

The scenario comes from a video released on the Cabinet Office’s official YouTube account on April 12 to raise awareness about harassment against local politicians.

“The video is not only for assembly members; it is for everyone to watch,” said Seiko Noda, the state minister in charge of gender equality, at a news conference.

During her campaign, the video’s protagonist has her back rubbed by a man in her constituency.

The man also asks her to give him her cellphone number “in return for my vote.”

After the woman is elected, a politician aged 70 and known as the “boss of the assembly,” says, “I envy you because women can win elections if they are young and good-looking.”

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14601390

[tanyev]

1. This always mystifies me about Japan.

I think of Japan as being so modern, with a lot of well-educated women who work high power jobs. But the accounts of misogyny there sound much worse than the U.S. and there seems to be a much greater expectation that women will stop working when they have children. Quite a dichotomy.