Gender Equality Bureau

[1] The Gender Equality Bureau conducts research on topics concerning issues of gender—compiling findings into an annual report called the "White Paper".

[3] Formulated partially as a result from outside pressure by Japanese feminists,[4] the creation of the Gender Equality Bureau was praised by the United Nations, which cited the need for systemic social changes in Japan.

[9] 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.

[10] The Bureau states that this goal is predicated on the establishment of a social and policy framework that allows individuals to choose their lifestyle without the limitations of traditional gender views.

The current goal the Bureau wishes to achieve is to increase the percentage of women in leadership positions to at least 30% by the year 2020 in a wide range of fields, such as academia and politics.

[12] Japanese workers on average have a minimum of ten work days for vacation time per year and are given zero paid public holidays, numbers that are far below any other industrialized nation except the United States.

[12] Government, per the Bureau's recommendation, is tasked with providing a policy structure that meets both male and female needs, hiring only companies that practice work–life balance for public contracts, and passing legislation that signifies the importance of both genders taking an active role in domestic work.

[12] In recognition of the emphasis put on the cessation of violence against women by the United Nations,[5][14] the Gender Equality Bureau has made many endeavors to eliminate the issue.

[15] The Gender Equality Bureau also works with international non-governmental agencies, such as Polaris Project and ECPAT, to combat issues such as human trafficking and sexual abuse.

The 2010 White Paper also pushes for combating the popular perception of gender equality being only concerned with women, stating that a gender-equal society would benefit both "the male worker and the housewife".

[9] Sociologist Yuko Kawanishi, in an interview, said that Japanese corporate culture has blocked the goal of a work–life balance: "The men became slaves to the company which became like a family.

[25] The United Nations has been critical of Japan's failure to annually report the country's progress on gender equality issues,[5] and for being slow to implement policies recommended by the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against All Women.

[26][27][28] According to one study, this tension in Japan is likely to lessen over successive generations, as holders of traditional views tend to belong to an older cohort of the population.