SoraNews24 —Japan News—

The new ad campaign addresses a variety of behaviours that should be avoided while travelling on trains, but so far, this is the only act that they’re calling indecent.

Japan
(controversy • feminism • manners • sexism • trains • video • women)

Is One Piece sexist? Twitter user posts scathing essay about Japan’s favorite manga

Scott Wilson
Jan 7, 2015

One Piece is the top-selling manga of all time, with over 350 million volumes sold in Japan alone. For fans of the series, it’s a no-brainer why the comic is so popular. The author/artist Eiichiro Oda is a master storyteller, turning what could have been a run-of-the-mill shonen manga into something special. One Piece often tackles deeper themes including racism, abuse of power, justice, moral ambiguity, and of course, big dudes with sweet powers slamming into each other.

What’s even more surprising are the readership demographics. Nine out of ten people who buy One Piece are adults, and over half of the manga’s readers are women. This might make it seem like it appeals to everyone, but apparently that is not the case. Japanese Twitter user @ykhre recently tweeted a controversial essay, making her case for why One Piece, despite its broad appeal, is sexist.

Japan
(manga • One Piece • sexism • Women in Japan)

Why aren’t there more female entrepreneurs in Japan? Pull up a chair… 【Women in Japan Series】

Amy Chavez
Dec 18, 2014

According to the Global Entrepreneur Development Index (GEDI) that measures favorable conditions for women entrepreneurs, the US and Australia are ranked first and second respectively, while Japan places fifteenth, just behind Peru. Yet Japan fulfills many of the requirements to create a successful female entrepreneurial environment such as education, skills and access to capital.

In addition, women in Japan can overcome obstacles such as low salaries, long work hours and scant child-rearing options by owning their own businesses and calling the shots. So, what’s holding Japanese women back? It turns out that a large part of it may be Japanese women themselves.

Japan
(Abenomics • business • culture • sexism • society • women entrepreneurs • Women in Japan • Women in Japan Series)

Artist Takashi Murakami immortalises heckled Tokyo assembleywoman in dot-art portraits

Philip Kendall
Jun 27, 2014

Sexism and discrimination have been rather hot topics here in Japan following an unpleasant incident at a Tokyo political assembly on June 18, during which female politician Ayaka Shiomura was taunted and mocked by assembleymen while giving a speech about pregnant women and working mothers.

In response, world-famous Japanese artist Takashi Murakami has taken the unusual step of creating and hanging a series of portraits of the politician in his Tokyo cafe.

Japan
(art • Ayaka Shiomura • politics • sexism • Takashi Murakami)

Shame on the gaming industry: Severed heads outnumbered women speakers at the E3 conference

BUSINESS INSIDER
Jun 13, 2014

Nearly half of all the people who play video games are women, but you wouldn’t know it by the video game industry’s biggest conference.

Only five women presented on stage at the major press events at E3, the video game industry’s huge conference, which took place in LA this week.

Sadly, that number won’t be surprising to anyone familiar with sexism in the tech industry, and the particularly appalling way women are treated in the video game industry.

But here’s the really shocking part. E3 actually featured more severed heads on stage than women: eight heads.

USA
(E3 • gender • sexism • video games)

“Sexist” pro-nuclear politician elected as Tokyo’s newest governor

Philip Kendall
Feb 10, 2014

Yoichi Masuzoe, the politician who once publicly stated that women “are not normal” during their period and “couldn’t possibly” be relied upon to run the country because of it, has been elected as governor of Tokyo, it has been announced.