Japan Has Little Brief For Women Briefs

[Mulboyne]

[floatl][/floatl]Asahi: Women account for only 14% of lawyers
Women account for only 14.4 percent of all lawyers in Japan, despite the overall increase in lawyers created through reforms of the judicial system. The percentage falls far behind 48.7 percent in France, 42.2 percent in Britain and 30.1 percent in the United States. As of the end of March 2008, 3,599 of Japan's 25,000 lawyers were women. "Because our profession is based on qualification (through the national bar exam), the notion that there is no sexual discrimination dies hard," said Tomoko Suganuma, a lawyer and vice chairwoman of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations' Committee on Equality of Men and Women. "Bar associations have lagged behind in coping with the issue," she said...more...

[wuchan]

Japan's 25,000 lawyers

Compared to the 11+ million japanese(this is not counting gaijin), the number seems very low. Come on japan, WTF, make a fuckin' stand. No wonder the gangs run shit here.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Compared to the 11+ million japanese(this is not counting gaijin), the number seems very low.

Try 120 million Japanese.

[kurohinge1]

Compared to the 11+ million japanese(this is not counting gaijin), the number seems very low.

Try 120 million Japanese.

Even if the population was only 11 million, the ratio to lawyers (440) would be relatively low compared with the U.S. (265 people per lawyer). But with Japan's actual population at SJ's figure of 120 million, this means Japan has an actual ratio of around 4,800 people per lawyer.

I knew Japan had few lawyers but was suprised to see that France has a ratio of 1,400 people per lawyer (whereas the U.K., Spain, Germany and Italy have ratios between 395 and 593).

[Greji]

"Because our profession is based on qualification (through the national bar exam), the notion that there is no sexual discrimination dies hard," said Tomoko Suganuma

This is a strange statement. Just what is she saying? Is she saying that there is no discrimination because of the bar exam system? I wouldn't think so, but if she is, why the "dies hard" comment? Typical legal gibberish. Probably give Bird a stiffy, but typical aimai mishmash to the rest of us...

[Mulboyne]

Here's an old William Stonehill piece which looks at Japan's lawyer shortage. It was written in 2000 when there were even fewer qualified lawyers.

[wuchan]

Try 120 million Japanese.

oops, drunken typo. left off a 0.

[sublight]

This is a strange statement. Just what is she saying? Is she saying that there is no discrimination because of the bar exam system? I wouldn't think so, but if she is, why the "dies hard" comment? Typical legal gibberish. Probably give Bird a stiffy, but typical aimai mishmash to the rest of us...

I think it's that because there's a standard exam, the powers can be can claim there's no discrimination, when in fact that's not the case.

Come on japan, WTF, make a fuckin' stand. No wonder the gangs run shit here.

Who do you think the lawyers are all working for?

[Russell]

Female civil servant sues over ‘institutional sexism’ in her ministry

In possibly a legal first, a female civil servant on Tuesday sued the government over what she calls institutional sexism at the ministry she works for, citing almost two decades of blocked promotions and pay raises.

It is thought to be the first time a current government official has initiated a lawsuit for gender-based discrimination and maltreatment, her lead lawyer, Masao Shintaku, told reporters.

The case is likely to embarrass Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has repeatedly characterized women as a key to economic growth and has trumpeted his administration’s commitment to empowering women in the workplace.

The plaintiff, who appeared before the media but whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy, is seeking compensation of about ¥6.6 million — mostly comprising the salary she says she has missed out on as a result of denied promotions.

The woman is in her 50s. She currently works as an assistant manager in the Statistics and Information Department of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

The ministry oversees the Equal Employment Opportunity Act for Men and Women.

She said she was appointed to her current post in 1996, and for the last 18 years has been consistently denied promotion. In the meantime, male colleagues who joined the ministry at the same time as her, in 1989, have ascended through the bureaucracy, she said.

“I’m initiating this lawsuit in the hopes that my action will help eradicate discrimination against women and rectify the underrated value of what we women do” at the ministry, her complaint states.

The woman alleges that in her division, female employees have long been consigned to the prosaic routines of statistical service and are denied opportunities to learn new skills.

Moreover, the division’s human resources bureau is significantly male-dominated, effectively ruling out any chance of personnel decisions that heed a female voice.

“We women have been treated as if all we are capable of is handling statistics,” she says in the complaint. “No matter how much we contributed or how well we performed, we stand virtually no chance of advancing in our career path.”

She also alleges that the department has deliberately refused to invite its female employees to a drink with top executives, thus “systematically” robbing them of opportunities to exchange opinions with their seniors.

“We will scrutinize her complaint and deal with it properly,” the ministry said in a statement.

Link

Like firing her?!?

[IparryU]

Female civil servant sues over ‘institutional sexism’ in her ministry

In possibly a legal first, a female civil servant on Tuesday sued the government over what she calls institutional sexism at the ministry she works for, citing almost two decades of blocked promotions and pay raises.

It is thought to be the first time a current government official has initiated a lawsuit for gender-based discrimination and maltreatment, her lead lawyer, Masao Shintaku, told reporters.

The case is likely to embarrass Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has repeatedly characterized women as a key to economic growth and has trumpeted his administration’s commitment to empowering women in the workplace.

The plaintiff, who appeared before the media but whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy, is seeking compensation of about ¥6.6 million — mostly comprising the salary she says she has missed out on as a result of denied promotions.

The woman is in her 50s. She currently works as an assistant manager in the Statistics and Information Department of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

The ministry oversees the Equal Employment Opportunity Act for Men and Women.

She said she was appointed to her current post in 1996, and for the last 18 years has been consistently denied promotion. In the meantime, male colleagues who joined the ministry at the same time as her, in 1989, have ascended through the bureaucracy, she said.

“I’m initiating this lawsuit in the hopes that my action will help eradicate discrimination against women and rectify the underrated value of what we women do” at the ministry, her complaint states.

The woman alleges that in her division, female employees have long been consigned to the prosaic routines of statistical service and are denied opportunities to learn new skills.

Moreover, the division’s human resources bureau is significantly male-dominated, effectively ruling out any chance of personnel decisions that heed a female voice.

“We women have been treated as if all we are capable of is handling statistics,” she says in the complaint. “No matter how much we contributed or how well we performed, we stand virtually no chance of advancing in our career path.”

She also alleges that the department has deliberately refused to invite its female employees to a drink with top executives, thus “systematically” robbing them of opportunities to exchange opinions with their seniors.

“We will scrutinize her complaint and deal with it properly,” the ministry said in a statement.

Link

Like firing her?!?

If Abe wants to make his BS about Women Shine... he better nudge the judge to rule in her favor and up the ante on compensation.

[wagyl]

If Abe wants to make his BS about Women Shine... he better nudge the judge to rule in her favor and up the ante on compensation.

Yes because the legislature and the executive influencing the judiciary is always a good move.

[IparryU]

If Abe wants to make his BS about Women Shine... he better nudge the judge to rule in her favor and up the ante on compensation.

Yes because the legislature and the executive influencing the judiciary is always a good move.

Yes because this will never change... might as well do it in a more positive way.

[matsuki]

If Abe wants to make his BS about Women Shine... he better nudge the judge to rule in her favor and up the ante on compensation.

Yes because the legislature and the executive influencing the judiciary is always a good move.

TIJ, any checks and balances in place (and reason) seem to often be overruled by cooperation between the branches anyways. When keeping the wa takes priority over actual job performance, things don't exactly work out the way they should.

[Mike Oxlong]

Perhaps a catchy theme song for PM's policy

[kurogane]

This is a strange statement. Just what is she saying? Is she saying that there is no discrimination because of the bar exam system? I wouldn't think so, but if she is, why the "dies hard" comment? Typical legal gibberish. Probably give Bird a stiffy, but typical aimai mishmash to the rest of us...

I think it's that because there's a standard exam, the powers can be can claim there's no discrimination, when in fact that's not the case.

Yup. It seems to be the standard issue passive misogynist response to any claims of institutional sexism. It was always the first response at naitonal universities and research institutes, which are both so fantastically sexist a naive foreign student could be easily forgiven for thinking they had landed in a medieval industrial society. Not to mention it was an actual Supreme Court decision a few years back regarding the alleged sexism of the One Household One Name policy; because as we know, tons of Japanese men are ready and willing to adopt their bride's name and do so on a regular basis.