Japanese parliamentarians denounce a unique shortage: toilets for them

Tokyo — Nearly 60 Japanese women parliamentarians, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, submitted a petition calling for more toilets in the Parliament building to match their better representation.

Although the number of female politicians increased in the last elections — and despite the fact that Takaichi become the first female Prime Minister in October — Japanese politics remains overwhelmingly dominated by men.

This is reflected in the fact that there is only one toilet containing two stalls near the main Diet plenary session hall for the 73 women elected to the lower house, according to the petition.

“Before the start of plenary sessions, many women parliamentarians have to form long queues in front of the toilets,” said Yasuko Komiyama of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party.

She was speaking after submitting the cross-party appeal signed by 58 women to Yasukazu Hamada, chairman of the lower house committee on rules and administration, earlier this month.

The Diet Building was completed in 1936, nearly a decade before women gained the right to vote in December 1945, following Japan’s defeat in World War II.

The entire Low House building includes 12 men’s toilets with 67 stalls and nine women’s facilities with a total of 22 stalls, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.

This year, Japan ranked 118th out of 148 in the World Economic Forum’s global gender gap report. Women are also significantly underrepresented in business and the media.

During elections, female candidates say they often face sexist ridicule, including being told they should stay home to look after the children.

In the last elections, in 2024, 73 women were elected to the 465-seat lower house – one has since left the country – compared to 45 in the previous parliament. There are 74 women in the upper house, which has 248 seats.

The government’s stated goal is to have women occupy at least 30 percent of legislative seats.

Takaichi, an admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, said before becoming prime minister that she wanted a “northern” level of gender balance in her cabinet.

But, ultimately, she appointed only two other women to her 19-person cabinet.

Takaichi, 64, said she hoped to raise awareness about women’s health issues and spoke candidly about her own experience with menopause.

But she remains considered socially conservative.

She opposes the revision of a 19th-century law requiring married couples to have the same surname and wants the imperial family to retain male-only succession.

The growing demand for women’s toilets can be seen as a sign of progress for Japan, although it also reflects the country’s failure to achieve gender equality, Komiyama said.

“In a way, this symbolizes the increase in the number of women parliamentarians,” Komiyama told reporters, according to her party website, adding that she hoped for more equality in other areas of life.