Feminism in Japan

Feminism in Japan began in the late 19th century and early 20th centuries. Many observers believe the movement was due to the flood of western thinking that reached Japan after the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Others argue that the women's rights movement in Japan drew from imported and native thought. Japanese feminism differs from Western feminism in that it is less focused on individual autonomy.

Before the 19th century, Japanese women were traditionally taught to obey a male: a father, husband, brother, or son. However, after the Meiji Restoration abolished the feudal system, changes were made in the status of women Trafficking in women was restricted, women were allowed to request divorces, and both boys and girls were required to receive elementary education.

Further changes to the status of women came about in the aftermath of World War II. Women received the vote, and the new constitution of 1946 stipulated equality between the sexes.

In 1970, in the wake of the anti-Vietnam War, New Left and student movement radicalism of the late 1960s, a new women's liberation movement emerged in Japan called ūman ribu (woman lib). This movement was in sync with radical feminist movements in the U.S. and elsewhere, catalyzing a resurgence of feminist activism through the 1970s and beyond. The activists forwarded a comprehensive critique of the male-dominated nature of modern Japan, arguing for a fundamental change of the political-economic system and culture of the society. What distinguished them from previous feminist movements was their emphasis on the liberation of sex (sei no kaihō). They did not aim for equality with men, but rather focused on the fact that men should also be liberated from the oppressive aspects of a patriarchal and capitalist system.

In 1979, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. The convention was ratified by the government of Japan in 1985.

Despite these changes, Japan received failing marks as late as 1986 in Humana's World Human Rights Guide regarding the status of women; it is one of the industrialized world's least equal countries.

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