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Will Japan get its first female prime minister as two women run?
- Victory for either Seiko Noda and Sanae Takaichi in a September 29 vote for leader of the ruling LDP would mean Japan sees its first female premier
- Just 10 per cent of members of Japan’s lower house are women, placing the country below Saudi Arabia in terms of female political representation
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Two women are in contention to become prime minister of Japan for the first time in its history – a potential turning point for a country that ranks below Saudi Arabia in terms of female political representation.
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Victory for either Seiko Noda and Sanae Takaichi, both former internal affairs ministers in their 60s, in a September 29 vote for leader of the ruling party would mean Japan sees its first female premier.
Even having women make up half the ballot of four candidates is a step forward for diversity in the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party, whose president is virtually assured of becoming prime minister due to its dominance in parliament.
“It probably won’t work out this time,” said Lully Miura, a political scientist at the Yamaneko Research Institute, of the chances of either female candidate making it to the top job.
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“But this makes it seem absolutely a matter of course that women should run, and people will get used to that.”
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