- 14 Mar 2002
- 21,057
- 18,914
Nearly sixty female lawmakers in Japan have made a straightforward request: more toilets. A petition signed by 58 women, including Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, notes that while the number of women in parliament has increased, the facilities have not. There are now 73 women in the lower house, but near the main chamber, they must share a single restroom with only two cubicles. Before plenary sessions, queues form quickly, making punctual attendance partly a matter of timing rather than politics. As MP Komiyama Yasuko remarked, waiting in line has become a regular part of the job.
The cross-party request was submitted to Hamada Yasukazu, who oversees house rules. While Japanese politics is slowly changing, some of the Diet building's most basic arrangements are still stuck in an earlier era.
The cross-party request was submitted to Hamada Yasukazu, who oversees house rules. While Japanese politics is slowly changing, some of the Diet building's most basic arrangements are still stuck in an earlier era.
Two cubicles, 73 women, one long queue: Japan’s female MPs fight for more loos
PM Sanae Takaichi joins petition asking for better facilities for women to match improved representation
Japan PM joins fight for more female toilets in parliament
Japan's parliament building was built in 1936, a decade before women were given the right to vote.