- 14 Mar 2002
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AFP on why Japanese women, in particular, gravitate towards urban centres: PM Ishiba is pledging to revitalize depopulated rural areas in hopes of helping his party retain its majority in today's general election. A recent study indicates that over 40 per cent of municipalities are at risk of extinction due to an ageing population and the exodus of young people—especially women, who often leave the countryside to escape entrenched sexist attitudes. Women, however, refuse to take the blame.
AFP interviews three of them: Yamamoto Ren, 25, from Yamanashi ; Akane Tanaka Schneider, 37, from Niigata, who now runs a shop in Ome; and Ishikawa Kaori, 39, an assemblywoman and mother of two in Hitachi in rural Ibaraki .
Their key complaints: outdated, old-fashioned companies, nosy neighbours, and male-dominated politics.
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www.independentnews.com
AFP interviews three of them: Yamamoto Ren, 25, from Yamanashi ; Akane Tanaka Schneider, 37, from Niigata, who now runs a shop in Ome; and Ishikawa Kaori, 39, an assemblywoman and mother of two in Hitachi in rural Ibaraki .
Their key complaints: outdated, old-fashioned companies, nosy neighbours, and male-dominated politics.
Read more:
Decline of rural Japan not our fault, women say
By pledging to revitalise depopulated rural areas, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba hopes to help his party retain its majority in Sunday's general election.
