著者

相内 真子

出版者

北翔大学

雑誌

人間福祉研究 = Human welfare studies (ISSN:13440039)

巻号頁・発行日

no.4, pp.93-107, 2001

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In the latest election for the House of Representatives (Lower House) in June 2000, there were 202 women who ran, and 35 were elected. This was a record high, other than the 39 women who were elected soon after World War II under the old Constitution. Reflecting the spirit of the new law, "Basic Law for a Gender-Equal Society" in 1999, major political parties in Japan recruited more women than before for the election to show their support to women and to women's causes. Unlike in local level elections where many candidates tend to run as independents, Japanese political parties have power all through the electoral process, including the selection of their candidates in national level elections. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), is a relatively new party founded in 1998 as a result of the amalgamation of some factions and the division of other parties. Although it is the largest opposition party against the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which is conservative, the DPJ represents a wide spectrum of ideologies from liberal-conservative to very leftist. The party is still underway in unification, but lack of strong leadership somewhat works for incorporating aspiring groups such as women and the younger generation. This essay focuses on three women running as official candidates of the DPJ and tries to explore the role of the party through the examination of factors in their respective campaigns that led two DPJ women to success but another woman to failure.In the latest election for the House of Representatives (Lower House) in June 2000, there were 202 women who ran, and 35 were elected. This was a record high, other than the 39 women who were elected soon after World War II under the old Constitution. Reflecting the spirit of the new law, "Basic Law for a Gender-Equal Society" in 1999, major political parties in Japan recruited more women than before for the election to show their support to women and to women's causes. Unlike in local level elections where many candidates tend to run as independents, Japanese political parties have power all through the electoral process, including the selection of their candidates in national level elections. The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), is a relatively new party founded in 1998 as a result of the amalgamation of some factions and the division of other parties. Although it is the largest opposition party against the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which is conservative, the DPJ represents a wide spectrum of ideologies from liberal-conservative to very leftist. The party is still underway in unification, but lack of strong leadership somewhat works for incorporating aspiring groups such as women and the younger generation. This essay focuses on three women running as official candidates of the DPJ and tries to explore the role of the party through the examination of factors in their respective campaigns that led two DPJ women to success but another woman to failure.