Key Facts
• April 9: Team Mirai lawmaker Eri Yamada questioned female participation in security policy at the House Security Committee.
• Recent poll: 45.7% of men and 70.5% of women oppose arms exports with lethal capability.
• Yamada cited 2025 NATO speech by Dr. Osmani emphasizing women’s essential role in peace and security.
• Yamada praised Defense Ministry’s Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) plan and female activity in Self-Defense Forces.
• She urged expanding women’s participation in policy decision-making tables with clear targets and timelines.
• Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi stated women’s active role is indispensable amid complex missions.
• Current female ratios: senior officers 4.5%, ministry section chiefs 6.1%, designated posts 3.6%.
• Targets set in March 2026 plan: senior officers ≥6%, section chiefs 10%, designated posts 5%.
• Yamada stressed importance of women’s voices in policy meetings, noting low female representation in expert panels (1 of 10, 2 of 11).
• Koizumi highlighted ongoing efforts: opinion exchanges, surveys, and WPS plan integration including gender perspectives.
• Examples: disaster response plan revised to include women’s needs; introduction of sanitary product supplies and contactless disposal boxes.
• Koizumi pledged continued efforts to create workplaces where women can thrive.
Summary
On April 9, Team Mirai’s Eri Yamada raised concerns about the underrepresentation of women in Japan’s security policy discussions during the House Security Committee session. She highlighted a recent survey showing a significant gender gap in opposition to lethal arms exports-70.5% of women versus 45.7% of men. Citing international calls for women’s essential role in peace and security, Yamada urged the government to increase female participation in key policy decision-making bodies with clear numerical goals. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi acknowledged the necessity of women’s involvement amid increasingly complex defense tasks. He shared current female representation statistics and targets from the newly formulated Women, Peace, and Security promotion plan. Koizumi also described concrete measures such as incorporating women’s perspectives in disaster response and improving sanitary provisions for female personnel. Both emphasized that integrating women’s voices is vital for sustainable and inclusive security policymaking in Japan.
