Gender Equality Bureau

The Gender Equality Bureau (男女共同参画局, Danjo Kyōdō Sankakukyoku) was established in 2001 as a division of the Japanese Cabinet Office tasked with planning and coordinating the policies of the Japanese Government pertaining to gender equality. The Gender Equality Bureau conducts research on topics concerning issues of gender—compiling findings into an annual report called the "White Paper".

In 1994, the Headquarters for the Promotion of Gender Equality was created within the Cabinet of Japan. With the 1999 implementation of the Basic Law for a Gender-Equal Society, both the Office for Gender Equality and the Council for Gender Equality were established by the Japanese Cabinet. During the governmental reforms effected January 6, 2001, the Gender Equality Bureau was established under the newly formulated Cabinet Office. Coupled with the Gender Equality Council, the Bureau is tasked with devising and coordinating plans regarding issues of gender equality in addition to executing plans that fall outside of the jurisdiction of any other ministry. When first founded, the Gender Equality Bureau was composed of 50 people with an equal balance between male and female members.

Formulated partially as a result from outside pressure by Japanese feminists, the creation of the Gender Equality Bureau was praised by the United Nations, which cited the need for systemic social changes in Japan. While Japanese women were guaranteed equality in the 1947 constitution, many argued that there was a large gap between the ideals of the law and reality. In 1979, 70% of Japanese citizens surveyed agreed with the statement "the husband should be the breadwinner, the wife should stay at home". During the 1980s—a decade which saw Japan ratify the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 1985 and the proposal of Japan's first National Action Plan for combating gender inequality in 1987—one public opinion survey found that 71% of Japanese women favored separate roles for men and women. Women constituted 1.7% of government management in 1997, and 0.2% of corporate management in 1998. Facing increasing international pressure from bodies like the United Nations, Japan in the 1990s undertook a variety of efforts that culminated in the creation of the Gender Equality Bureau in 2001.

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