CEDAW/C/JPN/9

United Nations

Convention on the Eliminationof All Forms of Discrimination
against WomenDistr.: General
29 December 2021
Original: English
English, French and Spanish only

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women

Ninth periodic report submitted by Japan under article 18of the Convention, due in 2020*,**[Date received: 16 September 2021]* The present document is being issued without formal editing.
** The annexes to the present report may be accessed from the web page of the Committee.

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Introduction
1.
The Basic Act for Gender Equal Society of Japan (hereinafter referred to as “theBasic Act”) provides that “it is vital that the realization of a gender equal society is
positioned as the most important issue in determining the framework of 21st -century
Japan and those policies on the promotion of the formation of a gender equal society
are implemented in all fields.” The Basic Act provides that the Government of Japan(hereinafter referred to as the “GOJ”) shall formulate the Basic Plan for Gender
Equality to promote comprehensive and systematic measures.
2.
Based on the Basic Act, the GOJ approved the Fifth Basic Plan for Gender
Equality (hereinafter referred to as “the Fifth Basic Plan”) in a Cabinet meeting in
December 2020. The Fifth Basic Plan clearly provides the following:(a) To adhere proactively to the Convention on the Elimination of All Formsof Discrimination Against Women (hereinafter referred to as “the Convention”) andtake measures in line with the Fourth World Conference on Women Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action based on the opinions and discussions of theCommittee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (hereinafter referred
to as “the Committee”) and the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women;(b) To fully recognize the significance of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, enhance and strengthen the national machinery for gender equality, andensure that gender equality and gender perspectives are integrated into all government
initiatives and reflected in policies (gender mainstreaming);(c) To ensure the implementation of summit-level and ministerial-levelinternational commitments reached at G7, G20, APEC, OECD and other interna tionalfora, and continue to proactively make contributions to international discussions andinitiatives.
3.
This Ninth Periodic Report explains the state of Japan’s implementation of theConvention for the period from September 2014 to June 2021, focusing mainly on thecontent of the Fifth Basic Plan, in the course of responding to the List of Issues andQuestions from the Committee.

Legal status of the Convention and visibility and ratificationof the Optional Protocol thereto
Response to paragraph 1 of the list of issues prior to the reporting(CEDAW/C/JPN/QPR/9)
4.
The Constitution of Japan in Article 98 Paragraph 2 stipulates that “the treaties
concluded by Japan and established laws of nations shall be faithfully observed,” thus
the Convention already has legal effect as a domestic law.
5.
The GOJ publishes information about the Convention and the generalrecommendations adopted by the Committee on the websites of the Cabinet Off ice
and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The administrative branch of the GOJ provides
the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors with information on theCommittee’s concluding observations on the combined seventh and eighth periodic
reports of Japan. With regard to judges, lectures are given by the Legal Training andResearch Institute every year in order to raise awareness of the Convention and genderequality as part of training for those with new positions and duties.
6.
(Note: The Constitution of Japan stipulates independence of the three branchesof government – legislative, administrative and judicial).
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7.
One of the points made by the Grand Bench of the Supreme Court in its
judgement of December 16, 2015, was compatibility of the Constitution regarding thelegal regulations stipulating the period of prohibition of remarriage. Supreme Court
Justice YAMAURA Yoshiki mentioned in his summary that “It is an important factthat the United Nations Human Rights Committee and the Committee on th e
Elimination of Discrimination against Women have told the GOJ that the period ofprohibition of remarriage system is in violation of the stipulations of international
treaties that guarantee gender equality and allow individuals to make a decision about
their own marriage, and have since 1998 repeatedly requested or recommended
abolition of the system.” The Supreme Court of Japan decided on June 23, 2021, that
Article 750 of the Civil Code, which stipulates “a husband and wife shall adopt thesurname of the husband or wife in accordance with that which is decided at the timeof marriage,” is constitutional. However, some Supreme Court Justices haveconcluded in their individual opinions that the Article is unconstitutional, mentioning
as one of the bases of their opinions that the GOJ has received recommendations fromthe Committee.
8.
The GOJ considers the individual communications procedure set forth in the
Optional Protocol to the Convention to be noteworthy in the sense that it could
effectively guarantee the implementation of the Convention. The Fifth Basic Plan
provides that “the GOJ will conduct serious considerations concerning the early
ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women, including through studying various issues”.
9.
With regard to the acceptance of the procedure, the GOJ is aware that there arevarious issues to consider including whether it could pose any problems in relation to
Japan’s judicial system or legislative policy, and what possible organizationalframeworks would be required for implementing the procedure in the case that Japan
is to accept it. The Inter-Ministerial Study Group on the Individual Communications
Procedure has been collecting information on as many cases as possible of individual
communications to the committees established based on the human rights treaties,
and conducting research into the responses of the committees. Recently, meetings of
the Study Group were held in April 2019 and August 2020. The GOJ continues toseriously consider whether or not to accept the procedure, while taking into accountopinions from various sources.

Definition of discrimination against women andlegislative framework
Response to paragraph 2
10. The Constitution of Japan in Article 14 stipulates that all citizens are equal andshall not be discriminated against on the basis of gender. The Basic Act stipulates thatthe formation of a gender equal society shall be carr ied out, not treating women andmen in a way that discriminates against them based on gender. The Convention, which
defines “discrimination against women” in Article 1, already has legal effect as adomestic law. The Act on Securing, Etc. of Equal Opportunity and Treatment between
Men and Women in Employment (hereinafter referred to as “the Equal Employment
Opportunity Act”) prohibits any forms of direct or indirect discrimination between
women and men in the area of employment.
11. The Fifth Basic Plan provides multiple and intersecting difficulties of womenand girls belonging to minority groups, and violence against them. The Council for
Gender Equality, established based on the Basic Act and composed of relevant

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ministers, experts and scholars with excellent knowledge on gender, will monitor the
implementation of the policies in the Fifth Basic Plan.
12. Systems such as the Imperial House of Japan and the royal families of othercountries have remained in place to this day against the backdrop of each in dividual
nation’s respective history and tradition with the support of their people. The systemof succession to the throne in Japan, which is stipulated in the Imperial House Law,
is a matter related to the foundation of a State. In light of the purport o f theConvention, which aims to eliminate discrimination against women, it is not
appropriate for the Committee to raise this issue in relation to the Imperial House
Law.

Response to paragraph 3
13. The Basic Act provides that the GOJ shall establish the Basic Plan in order tocomprehensively and systematically promote policies on the formation of a genderequal society (which means forming a society in which both men and women, as equal
members of society, are given opportunities to freely p articipate in activities in any
field of society and thereby equally enjoy political, economic, social, and cultural
benefits as well as share responsibilities). The Fifth Basic Plan provides specificmeasures and targets to be achieved by the end of fiscal year 2025, based on theperspective of steadily implementing the various multilateral commitments on genderequality that the GOJ has proactively participated in such as the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). In order to achieve the targets with the specific measuresin the Fifth Basic Plan, the Council for Gender Equality plays a role of monitoring
the implementation of the policies, and delivers its opinions to the Prime Minister andrelevant ministers as necessary.

Response to paragraph 4
14. The Fifth Basic Plan provides that the GOJ should: work on learning the realsituation of women who have to face multiple and intersecting difficulties because of
not only the fact that they are foreigners, have foreign roots or from Ainu or Buraku
communities, but also their gender; promote education and awareness -raising
activities on human rights; and investigate suspected violations of human rights andaid those who experience violations of human rights. Based on the purport of the Act
on the Promotion of Efforts to Eliminate Unfair Discriminatory Speech and Behaviour
against Persons Originating from Outside Japan (hereinafter referred to as “Act for
the Elimination of Hate Speech”) and the Act on the Promotion of the Elimination of
Buraku Discrimination, the GOJ has been working on improving awareness-raising
activities and consultation systems regarding human rights issues, including humanrights violation against women and girls. The GOJ has also been conducting necessary
investigation and taking appropriate measures when detecting suspected cases ofhuman rights violations.
15. Under Article 750 of the Civil Code, which stipulates that “a husband and wife
shall adopt the surname of the husband or wife in accordance with that which is
decided at the time of marriage,” a husband and wife shall adopt either the husband’sor wife’s surname by agreement. On the other hand, the Fifth Basic Plan provides that
the GOJ should conduct further consideration on systems of surnames of married
couples including a system allowing both a husband and wife to adopt separate
surnames if they wish, based on judicial ruling, while carefully observing public
opinions and debates in the Diet. The GOJ has been taking initiatives to deepen

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discussion both among the public and the Diet by providing relevant information on
its websites.
16. The Fifth Basic Plan provides that the GOJ should work on expanding the useof former surnames as a matter of convenience and take measures to raise awarenessof this fact.
17. The GOJ recognizes that the period of prohibition of remarriage is necessary to
avoid a situation in which the presumption of legitimacy is overlapped. Since a reviewof the presumption of legitimacy system is currently under consideration, the GOJ
needs to consider the period of prohibition of remarriage based on consideration about
the presumption of legitimacy system.

National human rights institution
Response to paragraph 5
18. The GOJ has been appropriately conducting considerations on the human rights
aid system, based on the ongoing discussions. The employees of 50 regional legal
affairs bureaus, their branches (a total of 311 nationwide) and approximately 14,000
civil rights commissioners provide a counselling service on human rights. When they
identify suspected violation of human rights, they investigate and take appropriate
measures.

National machinery for the advancement of women
Response to paragraph 6
19. The Basic Act provides the authority of the Council for Gender Equality as
follows:(a) To provide comments on a draft of the Basic Plan that the Prime Minister
is in charge of;(b) To study and deliberate on basic principles, basic policies and importa nt
matters, and state opinions to the Prime Minister and relevant ministers if necessary;(c) To monitor the status of implementation of measures about genderequality, study the impact of measures on the formation of a gender equal society, andstate opinions to the Prime Minister and relevant ministers if necessary.
20. The role of the Liaison Conference for Promotion of Gender Equality, which is
decided by the Chief Cabinet Secretary, is to promote initiatives in civil society andcivil society organizations (CSOs) for the formation of a gender equal society.
21. In order to secure gender perspectives and reflect them in policies in all fields(gender mainstreaming), the Fifth Basic Plan provides the following:(a) The Council for Gender Equality should examine the implementation of
the Fifth Basic Plan, deliberate on issues that require intensive debate and new issues,and evaluate the level of achievement of targets during the interim period;(b) Based on the opinions of the Council for Gender Equality, the GOJ should
decide the Intensive Policies in around June each year to reflect these in budgeting
process (gender budgeting);

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CEDAW/C/JPN/9(c) The GOJ should avail of meetings of the Liaison Conference for
Promotion of Gender Equality to exchange opinions, share information, and holddialogues with civil society.
22. The Gender Equality Bureau of the Cabinet Office, which functions as thesecretariat of national machinery, had 77 staff members and a budget of 3.7 billion
yen (33.64 million USD) 1 in fiscal year 2020. The Council for Gender Equality will
monitor the implementation of the policies of the Fifth Basic Plan and deliver its
opinions to the Prime Minister and relevant ministers if necessary.

Temporary special measures
Response to paragraph 7
23. Annex 1 shows information on the level of achievement of the targets in the
Fourth Basic Plan for Gender Equality (hereinafter referred to as “the Fourth BasicPlan”). This was among the materials used by the Council for Gender Equality in its
deliberations on the Fifth Basic Plan.
24. The Basic Act provides that the State is responsible for the comprehensive
formulation and implementation of policies, including positive actions (temporary
special measures), for the promotion of the formation of a gend er equal society. The
Fifth Basic Plan provides that the GOJ should call on political parties to implement
voluntary measures such as taking positive actions including quotas according to the
purport of the Act on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Politi cal Field establishedin 2018.
25. The Fifth Basic Plan provides that the GOJ should promote education andawareness- raising on human rights in order to deepen understanding of the situationof women who face multiple and intersecting difficulties becaus e of not only theirsexual orientation, gender identity, disabilities, the fact that they are foreigners, haveforeign roots, or from Ainu or Buraku communities but also their gender andcontribute to creating an environment in which a society as a whole respects diversity.
26.

Annex 2 shows information on the numerical targets in the Fifth Basic Plan.

Stereotypes and harmful practices
Response to paragraph 8
27. The GOJ has been working on awareness-raising activities on human rights andimprovement of consultation systems, from the perspective that discrimination
against women and girls, including those belonging to minority groups, isunacceptable. Among the requests of consultation on human rights that the Ministryof Justice received in 2019, 391 cases were concerning women who had experienced
forms of discrimination and 5,677 cases were of either coercion or compulsion against
women.
28. The Fifth Basic Plan provides that while giving consideration to human rights,
the GOJ should endeavour to change the views of both women and men and promote
their understanding on gender in order to prevent negative impacts led by unconscious
gender bias as well as to eliminate stereotypes of traditional gender roles and gender__________________
1

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This figure in USD is provided only for reference and is calculated based on Japan’s fiscal year
2020 exchange rate of 110 JPY = 1 USD.
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prejudice. Paragraphs 12 and 13 show the details of monitoring of the implementationof the policies in the Fifth Basic Plan.
29. The Equal Employment Opportunity Act bans discrimination on the basis ofgender in the recruitment, employment, assignment, and promotion of workers. The
GOJ has been raising awareness on this issue by providing specific examples in order
to eliminate stereotypes of traditional gender roles in employment.

Gender-based violence against women
Response to paragraph 9
30. An amendment to the Penal Code was enacted on July 13, 2017, that establishedthe two new crimes of “custodial indecency” and “custodial sexual intercourse.”
These two crimes are applied when custodians commit indecent assault of, or engage
in vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse, and oral intercourse with, victims under theage of 18 while taking advantage of the influence arising from the fact of having
custody of the victim. These crimes are liable to be treated by administering the same
severity of punishment as indecent assault and rape, irrespective of violence or
coercion are involved.
31. With the enactment of the amendment, the crime of rape includes vaginal
intercourse, anal intercourse, and oral intercourse irrespective of the sex of victims.
It also brought about a change in the name of the crime of rape to “forced sexualintercourse,” which can be prosecuted without any accusation by victims. The
enactment also raised the minimum statutory penalty from three years ’ imprisonment
to five years’ imprisonment. (With regard to marital rape, the offender is liable to be
charged with “forced sexual intercourse”).
32. Violence against women and girls is subject to criminal punishment for crimes
such as murder, injury, violence, forced sexual intercourse, and indecent assault.
Perpetrators are subject to appropriate punishment depending on each case.
33. The court determines the sentence. There are cases where the court issues aruling that a penalty is to be more severe than other cases because of the relationshipbetween a perpetrator and a victim.
34. The police put the highest priority on ensuring the life and physical safety ofvictims, and make arrests or take appropriate measures in case of confirming violationof the Penal Code or related laws. Annex 3 shows details of the police response tocases of violence by spouses and stalking incidents. Annex 4 shows information on
the detection and arrest of suspects in cases concerning murder, forced sexualintercourse, violence, injury, and indecent assault.
35.

Data on shelters and facilities for victims of violence is as follows:(a) There were 47 women’s consultation offices and temporary protective
custody facilities as of April 1, 2019. In fiscal year 2018, these offices and facilities
provided temporary protection for 4,052 women who were accompanied by 3,536
family members;(b) There were 47 women’s protection facilities as of April 1, 2019. In fiscal
year 2018, these facilities provided protection for 754 women who were accompaniedby 359 family members;(c) There were 124 shelters nationwide run by private organization known toprefectural governments and ordinance-designated cities as of November 1, 2020.

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36. Annex 5 shows the information on protection ordered by the courts according
to the Act on the Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of Victims.
37. The Penal Code stipulates the punishment for distribution, public display, andpossession for the purpose of financial benefit of obscene documents, images, andelectromagnetic or online media. The Act on Regulation and Punishment of Acts
Relating to Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, and the Protection of Children
stipulates punishment for manufacture, provision, public display, and possession ofchild pornography. Cases that should be treated as criminal offences are dealt withappropriately by criminal law. The Fifth Basic Plan provides strict control under the
Act and promotion of measures to prevent distribution, including self -regulation, by
industry organizations. Cases that should be treated as criminal offences have been
dealt with appropriately. The GOJ has been promptly detecting obscene pictures ofwomen and girls on the Internet through cyber patrols, and taking measures to makean arrest.

Response to paragraph 10
38. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare publishes the following information
regarding sterilization operated under the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Act on its
website: (a) situation of storage of relevant documents in prefectures, cities withpublic health centres, and special wards (as of September 2018); and (b) situation ofpossession of personal records related to eugenic surgery in medical institutions andwelfare facilities, and municipalities other than cities with public health cen tres (asof October 2018).
39. According to the Act on the Payment of Lump-Sum Compensation to People
who Underwent Eugenic Surgeries based on the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Act
established in 2019, the GOJ provided a lump-sum payment of 3.2 million yen(29,100 USD) 2 to those who underwent surgery conducted under the now-defunct
Eugenic Protection Act. The number of the recipients of the payment is 908 (as of theend of May 2021).
40. Since June 2020, the Diet has been investigating eugenic surgery conductedunder the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Act in order never to repeat the situations
in which people are forced to undergo surgery or radiation treatment to disable theirability of reproduction due to certain types of diseases or disabilities.

Response to paragraph 11
41. The revised Act on the Prevention, etc. of Child Abuse in 2019 stipulates thatthose who exercises parental authority shall not use corporal punishment indisciplining children. The Act on School Education prohibits corporal punishment
against students by teachers and staff in schools. The GOJ has been examining
disciplinary rights under the Civil Code.
42. The GOJ has been raising awareness of child-raising that does not involve
corporal punishment by preparing materials such as leaflets and Internet
advertisements.
43. The GOJ has been conducting a survey on corporal punishment in schools inorder to eradicate corporal punishment. The GOJ has also been providing guidance
for the boards of education in local governments regarding the distinction between__________________
2

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This figure in USD is provided only for reference and is calculated based on Japan’s fiscal year
2020 exchange rate of 110 JPY = 1 USD.
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discipline and corporal punishment as well as the initiatives to prevent corporalpunishment.
44. The GOJ has established human rights counselling offices, the dedicatedcounselling hotline for children “Children’s Rights 110,” and the "Online Human
Rights Counselling Desk.” The GOJ has also developed a system that allows morechildren to have an easier access to consultation, through means such as the
distribution of “Children’s Rights SOS Mini-Letters” at elementary and junior highschools. The GOJ has also been conducting necessary investigations and taking
appropriate measures when detecting suspected cases of human rights violations.

Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution
Response to paragraph 12
45. The GOJ has been working on elimination of trafficking in persons andappropriate protection of victims according to the 2014 Action Plan to Combat
Trafficking in Persons, by further strengthening the cooperative system with relevant
institutions. The GOJ actively conducts on-site inspections of sex establishments,
prepares and distributes leaflets in various languages to call for the filing of abuse to
the police, and operates an anonymous hotline. The GOJ also works on public
relations and awareness-raising activities using posters and leaflets. In addition, while
giving full consideration to the position of victims of trafficking in persons and fromthe perspective of protecting them, the GOJ implements measures to stabilize thelegal status of victims through means such as granting them special permission to stayin Japan when they are in violation of the Act on Immigration Control and Refugee
Recognition. The status of measures and proceedings of cases of trafficking in persons
identified between April 2019 and March 2020 is as follows: 32 persons prosecuted,
and the cases of seven persons dropped due to evidential problems. Out of theprosecuted, 30 were found guilty and two are pending trial. Annex 6 shows the resultsof the trials of those found guilty.
46. The GOJ concluded the United Nations Convention against Transnational
Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish
Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United
Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime in July 2017. It is
possible to implement prompt mutual legal assistance in criminal matters throughdirect communication between central authorities of States Parties to UNTOC. The
GOJ exchanges information with investigative agencies of the sending countries ofvictims of trafficking in persons through the International Criminal Police
Organization (ICPO). The GOJ also hosts a Contact Point Meeting for Trafficking in
Persons every year, and exchanges opinions and information with embassies inTokyo, relevant ministries, prefectures, NGOs, and the International Organization for
Migration (IOM). The GOJ has been proactively providing support for preve ntion of
trafficking in persons and protection of victims, mainly in Asian countries, throughmaking donations to United Nations (UN) organizations (such as the UN Office on
Drugs and Crime (UNODC), United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), and IOM and related funds such as theJapan-ASEAN Integration Fund 2.0, and by expanding projects by the Japan
International Corporation Agency (JICA). As part of collaboration (including
financial contributions) with the Japan office of IOM that has been continued every
year since 2005, the GOJ has provided foreign victims of trafficking in persons who
have been identified in Japan with assistance for voluntarily return to their homecountries as well as for rehabilitation and reintegration assistance. The GOJ sent
public prosecutors to participate in “practical meetings of law enforcement agencies
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of ASEAN Plus Three regarding improving joint international investigations andoperations in the field of trafficking in persons,” held in the Philippines in March
2018, which proved to be a great opportunity to deepen mutual understanding on legal
and practical issues and solutions.
47. The GOJ has set up a consultation service for technical intern trainees in the
Organization for Technical Intern Training (hereinafter referred to as “the OTIT”).
The service is available in eight languages, and technical intern trainees can reach itby telephone or email. The consultation service provides advice to those in need. With
regard to suspected cases of violations of the Act on Proper Technical Intern Training
and Protection of Technical Intern Trainees, the OTIT conducts on -site inspections ofsupervising organizations and implementing organizations, and provides necessary
guidance if violations are confirmed. In fiscal year 2019, the OTIT conducted
approximately 18,000 on-site inspections, and out of which approximately 6,200
cases were found to be in violation of the Act (such cases included inadequate
preparation and keeping of ledgers and documents, training content inconsistent withan original plan, and inappropriate payment of remuneration), and provided guidance
to those organizations concerned.

“Comfort women”
Response to paragraph 13
48. It is the basic view of Japan that it is not appropriate to raise the issue of comfort
women in the report on the implementation of the Convention as the Convention does
not apply retroactively to any issues that occurred prior to Japan’s conclusion thereof(1985). On this basis, with regard to the reference that the issue of comfort women isbeing raised in the list of issues and questions, Japan hereby describes its initiatives
for the reference of the Committee:(a)

As for the issue of comfort women, the GOJ has sincerely dealt with it;(b) The GOJ has sincerely dealt with issues of reparations, property, andclaims pertaining to the Second World War under the San Francisco Peace Treaty,
which the GOJ concluded with 45 countries, including the United States, the United
Kingdom, and France, and through other bilateral treaties, agreements, andinstruments. These issues, including those of claims of individuals, have already beenlegally settled with the parties to these treaties, agreements, and instruments;(c) On this basis, the GOJ has actively taken additional measures to restore
the honour of former comfort women and to provide remedies for them. In 1995, the“Asian Women’s Fund” (hereinafter referred to as “AWF”) was established with thecooperation of the people of Japan and the GOJ for the purpose of carrying out
atonement and remedy projects for former comfort women. The GOJ provided a totalof 4.8 billion yen (43.64 million USD). 3 Approximately 600 million yen(5.45 million USD) was donated to the AWF by the people of Japan. The GO J
extended maximum cooperation to the AWF, which implemented medical and welfare
support projects and provided “atonement money” to offer realistic relief to former
comfort women. As part of the AWF’s projects, “atonement money” (2 million yen(18,200 USD) per person), which was funded by donations from Japanese people, wasprovided to 285 former comfort women (211 in the Philippines, 61 in the Republic ofKorea (hereinafter referred to as “the ROK”), 13 in Taiwan). Moreover, the AWF__________________
3

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Figures in USD in para 29 (c) are provided only for reference. For convenience, these figures arecalculated at the rate of 110 JPY = 1 USD, which is close to the average of Japan’s fiscal year
exchange rates between 1996 and 2007.
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provided funds in those countries/areas for medical and welfare support funded with
contributions by the GOJ (3 million yen (27,300 USD) per person in the ROK and
Taiwan, and 1.2 million yen (10,900 USD) per person in the Philippines). This
amounted to a total of 5 million yen (45,500 USD) per person in the ROK and Taiwan,
and 3.2 million yen (29,100 USD) per person in the Philippines. Furthermore, using
funds contributed by the GOJ, the AWF extended support for projects to promotesocial welfare services for elderly people in Indonesia as well as projects to help
improve the living conditions of former comfort women in the Netherlands;(d) When the “atonement money” as well as the medical and welfare support
were provided to individual former comfort women, then -Prime Ministers (namely,
PM HASHIMOTO Ryutaro, PM OBUCHI Keizo, PM MORI Yoshiro, and PM
KOIZUMI Junichiro) sent signed letters expressing apologies and remorse directly toeach former comfort woman;(e) In particular, in the Japan-ROK relations, the issue concerning property
and claims between Japan and the ROK was settled completely and finally in 1965
through the Agreement on the Settlement of Problem Concerning Property and Claims
and on the Economic Cooperation between Japan and the Republic of Korea.
Furthermore, as a result of great diplomatic efforts, the GOJ and the Government of
the ROK confirmed that the issue of comfort women was “resolved finally andirreversibly” with the agreement reached at the Japan-ROK Foreign Ministers’Meeting in December 2015. The Japanese and ROK leaders also confirmed that theywould take responsibility as leaders to implement this agreement, and that they would
deal with various issues based on the spirit of this agreement. This agreement waswelcomed by the international community, including then Secretary-General of theUnited Nations Ban Ki-moon and the United States Government. In accordance withthis agreement, in August 2016, the GOJ contributed one billion yen(8.33 million USD) 4 to “the Reconciliation and Healing Foundation (hereinafterreferred to as “the Foundation”) established by the Government of the ROK. The
Foundation provided financial support to 35 out of the 47 former comfort women who
were alive at the time of the agreement, and to the bereaved families of 64 out of the
199 former comfort women who were deceased at the time. The agreement has been
received positively by many former comfort women. As stated above, the GOJ has
implemented all measures it committed to under the Japan-ROK agreement. The
Government of the ROK itself also acknowledges that this agreement is an official
agreement between the two governments and the international community is closely
following the ROK’s implementation of the agreement;(f) As stated in the Statement by the Prime Minister issued in 2015, Japan willlead the world in making the 21st century an era in which women’s human rights are
not infringed upon. Japan contributes to and supports various projects of UN
organizations such as UN Women, the Office of the Special Representative of theSecretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, and the Global Fund for Survivorsof Conflict-Related Sexual Violence. Japan is also engaged in combating sexual
violence in conflict through means such as proactively providing relief to survivorsof sexual violence in conflict who are currently suffering, and raising awareness forthe prevention of such violence;(g) Concerning textbooks which was mentioned in the Committee’s
concluding observations on the combined seventh and eighth periodic repor ts ofJapan, as textbooks in Japan are produced by private publishers, judgment as to what__________________
4

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This figure in USD is provided only for reference and is calculated based on Japan’s fiscal year
2016 exchange rate of 120 JPY = 1 USD.
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kind of specific historical issues should be included and how they should be describedin a textbook based on the National Curriculum Standards is left to them.

Participation in political and public life
Response to paragraph 14
49. The Act on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field, which stipulates
that the number of female and male candidates should be as equal as possible, hasbeen amended in 2021 by adding provisions such as developing trainings andconsulting system on sexual harassment and harassment related to pregnancy andchildbirth. Annex 7 shows the latest statistics on women’s participation in thelegislative, executive, and judicial bodies.
50. The Act on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field has no penal
provisions. The percentage of women among all candidates in the election of theHouse of Councillors in July 2019 was 28.1 per cent, which represents an incre ase of
3.4 points from 24.7 per cent in the previous election.
51. The GOJ publishes the status of initiatives taken by political parties in Japan,
and conducts research and study on initiatives regarding a quota system of foreigncountries and provides information on them, according to the Act on Promotion of
Gender Equality in the Political Field.
52. The central government, local governments and private companies have beenpromoting proactive measures to encourage women’s active participation such as
setting targets and publicizing information, according to the Act on the Promotion of
Female Participation and Career Advancement in the Workplace (hereinafter referred
to as “the Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the
Workplace”.) The GOJ has been providing information and raising awareness on thecontents of the Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the
Workplace through consultation meetings and briefing sessions for companies andvisits to each company. The GOJ has also been requesting corporate executives andheads of local governments to participate in “Male Leaders Coalition for
Empowerment of Women” (257 corporate executives and heads of local governments
had participated in the meetings as of April 30, 2021), and providing information topromote women’s development, capacity building, and promotion, as well as a changeof mindset for empowerment of women and work-style reform.
53.

Annex 8 shows an overview of the Fifth Basic Plan and its targets.

Nationality
Response to paragraph 15
54.

The Act on Nationality stipulates as follows:(a) A child born out of wedlock to a Japanese mother acquires Japanesenationality at birth;(b) A child born out of wedlock to a foreign mother and acknowledge d by aJapanese father as his child can acquire Japanese nationality by filing a notification
while the child is still a minor.);(c) A child born in Japan whose parents are unknown or stateless acquires
Japanese nationality at birth.

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55. Requirements for naturalization of a stateless child are eased under certain
conditions.

Education
Response to paragraph 16
56. The Fifth Basic Plan provides that the GOJ should promote career choices for
women in STEM by taking measures to increase interest in and understanding ofcareers in STEM among female junior and senior high school students, theirguardians, and their teachers. The GOJ has been working on establishing a support
system, consisting of representatives of industry, government, and academia, thatprovides information, presents female role models, and conducts on -site classes,
symposiums, and research and study.
57. There was a case of gender-based unfair treatment of applicants in the entrance
examination at medical university, and the GOJ pointed out to the university that it
was inappropriate. The GOJ worked on revising the Guidelines for University
Admission Selection that is a common rule for the entrance examination for all
faculties and departments of all universities. The Guidelines now have a newrequirement stating that all universities are prohibited from applying unfair andinappropriate selection of applicants using different criteria based on gender. Each
university has been working on investigation and improvement of the selection of
applicants based on the new requirement. The Fifth Basic Plan provides that the GOJ
should inform universities of the new provision, and encourage medical universities
in particular to proactively disclose information on their entrance examin ation suchas the pass rates of female and male applicants.
58. Considering that it is essential for schools and boards of education in local
governments to empower women to demonstrate their abilities in order to revitalize
the organizations, and that the gender composition of positions at the managementlevel may have an impact on forming the attitudes of students, the Fifth Basic Plan
provides that the GOJ should promote the appointment of women in decision -making
positions, such as education directors and members of boards of education in local
governments, and principals and vice-principals in schools. The GOJ has requested
boards of education in local governments to proactively appoint women to
management positions at elementary- and secondary-level educational institutions.
The GOJ has been promoting the voluntary setting of targets and the taking of
initiatives on women’s participation and advancement in universities. Annex 9 shows
the latest data.

Response to paragraph 17
59. The GOJ widely provides scholarship grants and loans for Ainu children
regardless of gender.
60. The targets of scholarships from the Japan Student Services Organization arelegally restricted to university, college of technology, and specialized training college,
and Korean schools are not legally categorized in these school types. Thesescholarships have nationality requirements, and all Korean students living in Japan
who meet the requirements (for example, students who are special permanent
residents) are eligible.
61. The High School Tuition Support Fund System is open to students of any
nationality as long as they live in Japan. The reason why Korean schools are not
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covered is that they have been found not to meet the criteria stipulated by the relevantlaws and regulations.
62. The GOJ recognizes that there are local governments that provide subsidies to
Korean schools based on their own discretion and responsibility, with attention toensure appropriate and transparent implementation.
63. The GOJ explains the purport of the Act for the Elimination of Hate Speech andeducation activities to eliminate unjust discriminatory words and actions at meetings
with those in charge of human rights education from prefectural boards of education.
The GOJ has been working on to ensure that children have an easier access toconsultation by distributing the “Children’s Rights SOS Mini-Letters” at elementaryand junior high schools throughout the country. The GOJ has also been conducting
necessary investigations and taking appropriate measures when detecting suspectedcases of human rights violations. Violence against women and girls is subject tocriminal punishment, and perpetrators are subject to an appropriate punishment
depending on each case. In addition, the GOJ has been promoting “Life Safety
Education” to ensure that children value their lives and do not become perpetrators,
victims, or bystanders of sexual crimes and sexual assault by creating educational
materials that are suited to each stage of their development including d isseminating
the information to parents.
64. Children with disabilities require special support depending on the nature of
their individual disabilities when they receive education. The GOJ has been working
on the development of conditions for children, including girls with disabilities, toensure that children with and without disabilities can receive education together as
much as possible. Towards independence and social participation of children withdisabilities, the GOJ has been developing conditions of continuous and diverse
learning opportunities in order to provide guidance that can most precisely meet theeducational needs of each individual.
65. The National Curriculum Standards for elementary, junior high and high schools
cover contents pertaining to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Schools
provide guidance on sexuality through the entire school education activities such as
physical education, health and physical education, and Tokkatsu (Student -Led
Activities), according to the National Curriculum Standards, in order to ensure thatstudents develop understandings on sexuality and take appropriate actions.
66. In order to achieve the educational goal of cultivating attitudes that respect
gender equality set forth in the Basic Act on Education, the Fifth Basic Plan provides
as follows; (a) integration of a perspective of gender equality at each stage of teacher
training, recruitment, and education and development; (b) promotion of theunderstanding of gender equality among school principal s, teachers and educational
staff, and boards of education in local governments; and (c) further development ofeducation and learning that promote gender equality in schools and social education.
67. At the elementary and secondary school level, students receive guidance on theimportance of respect for human rights, gender equality, understanding andcooperation between women and men, as well as the importance of family and family
life, throughout school education, depending on their stage of development . The GOJ
has been developing programs to raise awareness of gender equality among teachers.
In higher education, each university conducts faculty training and career educationfrom a gender-perspective.

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Employment
Response to paragraph 18
68. The Fifth Basic Plan provides that the GOJ should eliminate discriminatory
treatment on the basis of gender and close the wage gap between women and men. It
also provides that the GOJ should support the expansion of women’s participationand opportunities to demonstrate their abilities in the workplace.
69. The Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the
Workplace stipulates that employers should formulate action plans for women’s
participation and advancement, and publicize information.
70. Labour Standards Act in Article 4 prohibits wage discrimination by reason of
the worker being a woman.
71. The GOJ has been working to eliminate any unreasonable differences intreatment between regular and non-regular employees within the same company, by
ensuring the smooth implementation of the two acts (Act on Improvement of
Personnel Management and Conversion of Employment Status for Part-Time Workers
and Fixed-Term Workers (Act on Part-Time and Fixed-Term Workers) and the revised
Act on Securing the Proper Operation of Worker Dispatching Businesses andProtecting Dispatched Workers which have been consecutively brought into force
from April 2020.
72. The Fifth Basic Plan provides the importance of promoting women’s financial
independence through various efforts such as taking measures to ensure equal pay forwork of equal value.
73. As noted in Paragraph 43, the Labour Standards Act in Article 4 prohibits wage
discrimination by reason of the worker being a woman. Workplaces that have violated
the Article are subject to guidance from labour standard inspectors. The numbers ofworkplaces that were given such guidance because of violation of the Article are as
follows: one in 2019, four in 2018, and five in 2017.
74. The Fifth Basic Plan provides that ensuring an equal opportunity and treatment
for both women and men in the field of employment such as the elimination of sexual
harassment, harassment related to pregnancy, childbirth and childcare leave, in theworkplace, is an essential prerequisite for achieving a society in which everyone who
is willing to work can participate and advance regardless of gender.
75. The Equal Employment Opportunity Act and the Act on Childcare Leave,
Caregiver Leave, and Other Measures for the Welfare of Workers Caring for Children
or Other Family Members (hereinafter referred to as “Act on Childcare and Family
Care Leave”) stipulate the following in relation to employers: (a) obligation to takemeasures of employment management to prevent sexual harassment, and harassment
related to pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare leave in the workplace; (b) prohibitionof disadvantageous treatment due to marriage, pregnancy, childbirth and childcare
leave.
76. The Prefectural Labour Bureau, which is a local branch of the Ministry of
Health, Labour and Welfare, gives advice, guidance and recommendations toemployers who violate the Acts, and discloses their names if they do not follow therecommendations. The GOJ has been working for smooth resolution of disputes withthe use of assistance for dispute resolution and the use of conciliation based on theActs.
77. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Act and the Act on Childcare
and Family Care Leave, the Prefectural Labour Bureau should give advice and21-19809

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guidance to employers, when employers breach their obligations on prevention ofsexual harassment, and harassment related to pregnancy, childbirth and childcare
leave, or prohibition of disadvantageous treatment due to marriage, pregnancy,
childbirth and childcare leave.
78. The number of corrective guidance issued on sexual harassment held in theworkplace: 4,671 in fiscal year 2019, 4,953 in fiscal year 2018, and 4,458 in fiscal
year 2017.
79. The number of corrective guidance issued on harassment related to marriage,
pregnancy, and childbirth in the workplace: 5,662 in fiscal year 2019, 6,008 in fiscal
year 2018, and 5,764 in fiscal year 2017.
80. The number of corrective guidance issued on harassment related to childcare
leave in the workplace: 5,236 in fiscal year 2019, 5,097 in fiscal year 2018, and 5,741
in fiscal year 2017.
81. The number of corrective guidance issued on disadvantageous treatment due tomarriage, pregnancy, and childbirth in the workplace: 40 in fiscal year 2019, 39 in
fiscal year 2018, and 35 in fiscal year 2017.
82. The number of corrective guidance issued on disadvantageous treatment related
to childcare leave in the workplace: 20 in fiscal year 2019, 21 in fiscal year 2018, and
22 in fiscal year 2017.

Response to paragraph 19
83. In order to encourage married couples to raise children together, the Fifth Basic
Plan calls for the submission of bills to the ordinary Diet session in 2021 which
includes the following: (a) installation of a new framework to promote childcare leaveright after their childbirth; (b) obligating employers to inform childcare leave to theiremployees who report their own or their spouse’s pregnancy or childbirth and to
improve the work environment through means such as setting up training andconsultation services; and (c) encouraging employers to disclose the rate of male
employees taking childcare leave. The GOJ submitted these bills in February 2021,
and these bills were passed in June 2021. In addition, in fiscal year 2020 the GOJ
launched an initiative to encourage all male government officials to take childcare
leave for more than a month.
84. The GOJ has been working to build social momentum that encourages men to
take childcare leave and actively participate in childcare by expanding the “Ikumen
Project” and the “Sankyu Papa Project.”
85. According to the Plan for Accelerating the Elimination of Daycare Waiting Lists
for Children, the GOJ added daycare spots equivalent to 535,000 children over thefive years from fiscal year 2013 to fiscal year 2017. According to the Child-Rearing
Security Plan, the GOJ provided daycare spots for 320,000 children over the three
years from fiscal year 2018 to fiscal year 2020. The GOJ will work on preparation of
daycare spots for approximately 140,000 children over the four years between fiscal
year 2021 and fiscal year 2024 under the New Child-Rearing Security Plan.
86. Domestic workers have the right to organize and the right to collective
bargaining by law. They are entitled to take out indus trial accident compensation
insurance. The GOJ has been widely publicizing these facts.
87. The Fifth Basic Plan provides the establishment of a consultation system andinformation services in multiple languages for employment support, considering
multiple and intersecting difficulties that foreign women face because of not only
differences in language, culture and values, and isolation in their community but also
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their gender. As of the end of October 2020, the number of foreign workers is
1,724,328, of which 918,169 are men and 806,159 are women.
88. The GOJ has thoroughly examined the significance of ratifying each conventionof the International Labour Organization (ILO) and has ratified those deemed suitable
for ratification after carefully ensuring their consistency with domestic legislation.
Specifically, the GOJ is discussing challenges on the ratification of Conventions at
the ILO Panel, in which representatives of both employers and employees participate.
89. The Fifth Basic Plan provides that the GOJ should work on specificconsideration on challenges on the ratification of the ILO Conventions, which the Listof Issues and Questions of the Committee points out, and make continued andsustained efforts to pursue ratification of those conventions. Th e GOJ will continue
to make such efforts.

HealthResponse to paragraph 20
90. The Act on Maternal Protection requires the consent of a spouse for having an
induced abortion in principle, but an induced abortion is legally permitted with thesole consent of the pregnant woman in the following cases: (a) when her spouse isunknown, or unable to express his will; and (b) when her spouse is gone after her
pregnancy.
91. “When her spouse is unknown” includes cases in which the whereabouts of her
spouse are essentially unknown. “Unable to express his will” includes cases in which
he is practically unable to show his will.
92. Under the Act on Maternal Protection, an induced abortion should be legallypermitted in the case that a woman “gets pregnant as a result of a violent or
threatening act, or while being unable to either resist or refuse.” It should be also
legally permitted if “the continuation of pregnancy or delivery may significantly
damage the pregnant woman’s health because of her physical health or economic
status.” The crime of abortion under the Penal Code is not applied in these cases. In
addition, the GOJ provides relevant organizations with clarification on theinterpretation of the Act on Maternal Protection. At this time, the GOJ poin ts out thatthe law has no intention to require the consent for an abortion of the perpetrator offorced sexual intercourse. The GOJ further clarifies that the law requires only theconsent for an abortion of the pregnant woman when it is difficult to obta in theconsent of the spouse because the marriage has practically broken down, such as cases
in which the pregnant woman is a victim of violence by spouse.
93. The Act on Maternal Protection stipulates that only doctors designated by
prefectural medical associations can perform an abortion. Medical associations
review applications to become designated doctors and renew qualifications every two
years.
94. The Fifth Basic Plan provides the following: (a) cooperation among relevantorganizations is important when sexual crime/violence or domestic violence isinvolved; and (b) the GOJ should strengthen a consultation and support system on sex
and pregnancy that is provided by professionals such as midwives.
95. The Fifth Basic Plan provides that, in order to deal with unexpected pregnancyrelated worries, women’s health support centres should develop a counselling system
by assigning specialized counsellors, provide accompanying support to municipal

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governments and medical institutions, and collaborate with scho ols and relevant local
institutions.
96. The GOJ provides counselling support as a part of project on maternal and childhealth such as home guidance, and expands consultation support at women’s healthsupport centres and child guidance centres to those wo men who have worries withregard to pregnancy, childbirth, child raising, or abortion.
97. According to the Basic Act on Comprehensive Suicide Countermeasures, theGOJ formulates the Comprehensive Measures to Prevent Suicide. In order to reduce
the risk of suicide across society, the GOJ has expanded consultation system including
telephone consulting and chat-based hotlines for those who are contemplating suicide.
In order to support young women who face a variety of difficulties, the GOJ
established the Model Project for Supporting Young Women in fiscal year 2018.
According to the project, the GOJ provides outreach support, in close collaboration
with public and private organizations, such as: conducting night patrols during which
officials may approach young women to enquire about their welfare; securing places
for young women to stay; and improved consultation and support for self -reliance.
Annex 10 shows the relevant data.

Response to paragraph 21
98.

A survey conducted by Fukushima Prefecture indicates as follows:(a) While a simple comparison may not work due to differences in survey
methods, the percentage of premature birth, low birth -weight babies and congenitalabnormalities and anomalies are not significantly different from th e national
averages;(b) The cases of thyroid cancer that have been discovered to date areconsidered to be unrelated to the radiation discharged due to the accident.
99. The GOJ has been assisting the Project to Support the Thyroid Examination
conducted by Fukushima Prefecture, which financially supports those who continue
to require medical treatment as a result of thyroid examination.
100. The revised Act on Health Promotion was enacted in 2020, in order to strengthen
measures against passive smoking and further improve people’s health. The Act
stipulates as follows:(a)To eliminate unwanted passive smoking;(b) To give special consideration to children and patients whose health can beheavily impacted by passive smoking;(c) Based on the idea that measures should be decided depending on the typeand location of facility concerned, to take measures to prohibit smoking or specify
smoking areas according to the type of facility and its location, and to require
installation of signs related to smoking regulation.
101. With the revised 2019 Ministerial Ordinance on Enforcement of the Act on
Regulations of the Tobacco Business, the GOJ has revised the content of warninglabels on cigarette packaging based on the latest scientific findings, which improved
the labelling on “effects on others” such as prevention of unwanted passive smoking.

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Economic and social benefits
Response to paragraph 22102. The Fifth Basic Plan provides the following:(a) To improve working and living environments from the gender-perspective
so that women and men can secure sufficient wages to lead a healthy and cultured life
without encountering difficulties in life such as poverty;(b)reliance;

To provide tailored support to single-parent households for their self-(c) To offer support suitable to each lifestyle that varies from person to person
so that women who are unable to work due to difficulties in life such as age, illness,and disability do not fall into poverty;(d) To address the poverty issue among elderly women receiving small or no
pensions.
103. The GOJ has been expanding the application of employee insurance in thepension system since it is important to provide security suitable to each employee.
The GOJ has designed the system to make the earnings-related component of its
second tier more generous in order to support part-time workers, which is a group that
includes a high percentage of women. The Revised Act on the Pension System enacted
in May 2020 stipulates that the GOJ shall expand the scope of application fromcompanies with over 500 employees to companies with over 100 employees in
October 2022, and to companies with over 50 employees in October 2024. Moreover,the GOJ provides support for living and housing expenses as part o f the public
assistance system, depending on the level of poverty.
104. Bereaved families receive disaster condolence money, and there is no distinction
on the basis of gender. The heads of households, who have suffered significant
damage to their homes and household goods due to natural disasters, receive disaster
relief funds, and there is no distinction on the basis of gender for disaster relief funds.
105. The Fifth Basic Plan provides the review of various systems through utilizing
the My Number System in order to make individuals, as opposed to households, therecipients of benefits and the bearers of burdens under those systems.
106. In order to encourage women to start their own business, representatives from
related ministries, local governments, and organizations supporting women
entrepreneurs hold liaison meetings with stakeholders. They hold the meetings to
widely share expertise on supporting women that has been built up through “theNetwork for Supporting Women Entrepreneurs” which is run by loc al financial
institutions, industrial and start-up support organizations, private businesses
providing career counselling to women, and non-profit organizations. The GOJ
conducts trainings for the development of those providing support as part of thisnetwork. The Japan Financial Corporation provides financial support for women who
are willing to start their own businesses. The GOJ supports the efforts of local
governments supporting women’s entrepreneurship by providing the Regional
Women’s Activity Promotion Grants.

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Rural women and disadvantaged groups of women
Response to paragraph 23
107. The Fifth Basic Plan and the Basic Plan for Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas
that the GOJ has approved in a Cabinet meeting in March 2020 provides thefollowing: (a) promotion of women’s participation in management; (b) fostering of
women workers in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries as community leaders;(c) promotion of women’s participation in policy making in agriculture, forestry, andfisheries; (d) development of work environments in which women can work with lessdifficulties; (e) reduction of the burden of childcare and nursing care; and(f) promotion of efforts to change stereotyped ideas of traditional gender roles.
108. In order to improve the situation of women farmers including in terms of landownership, the GOJ has promoted the conclusion of the Family -Management
Agreement that determines the division of roles and working conditions among family
members. In order to expand women’s participation in decision-making, the Act on
Agricultural Committees and Related Organizations, Agricultural Cooperative Act,
Fisheries Cooperative Associations Act and the Forest Owners’ Cooperative
Associations Act were revised to introduce new provisions that requir e theappointment of agricultural commissioners and union executives without gender orage bias. In addition, the GOJ has decided to conduct an annual survey among
agricultural committees and agricultural co-operatives to find out how many women
have been appointed to these positions and to make this information public. The GOJ
also promotes the appointment of female directors in the Land Improvement Districts.
109. The Act on Income Tax is applicable to everyone regardless of gender, so the
GOJ does not believe that the Committee’s previous recommendation pointing outthat the Act may prevent women’s economic self-reliance is appropriate.
110. Paragraphs 6, 9, 16, 18, 38, 39 and 40 show information on the steps taken to
deal with multiple and intersecting discrimination that women belonging to minority
groups face.
111. The Japan Legal Support Centre provides information on legal systems andconsultation desks for free to help resolve legal issues, including prejudice anddiscrimination against minority women in response to inquiries from them.

Climate change and disaster risk reduction and management
Response to paragraph 24112. The Fifth Basic Plan provides the following:(a) To take more actions from a gender-equality perspective in national
disaster responses;(b) To promote actions from a gender-equality perspective at the local
government level, such as encouraging women’s participation in decision -making anddisaster responses, preparing and utilizing sex-disaggregated data, taking measuresthat take into account gender differences in impacts and needs arising from disasters,
and ensuring safety and security of women in evacuation facilities;(c) To consider international trends in addressing environmental issues,
expand women’s participation in policy and decision making, and proactively workon integrating a gender perspective into efforts in disaster response.

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113. The Long-term Strategy under the Paris Agreement that the GOJ approved in a
Cabinet meeting in 2019 provides that it is necessary to promote climate change
measures in line with elements of SDGs other than climate change in order to achieve
the whole SDGs.
114. Data on the proportion of women among members of the Central Disaster
Management Council is as follows:
Year

Central Disaster Management Council

2015

18.5%

2016

13.8%

2017

13.8%

2018

10.3%

2019

6.9%

2020

13.8%

2021

16.1%

115. Data on the proportion of women among the members of the disastermanagement councils of local government as follows. By the end of fiscal year 2021,
the GOJ will follow up on the status of efforts of local governments and make thempublic. The GOJ will continue to conduct a follow-up annually.
Year

Prefectural disaster management councils

Municipal disaster management councils

2015

13.2%

7.7%

2016

14.0%

8.0%

2017

14.9%

8.1%

2018

15.7%

8.4%

2019

16.0%

8.7%

2020

16.1%

8.8%

116. Paragraph 63 shows the commitments on climate change and risk managementof disaster in the Fifth Basic Plan. The Basic Disaster Management Plan approved by
the Central Disaster Management Council also has been revised in its provisions toincorporate a gender perspective into each phase of disaster response. (Annex 11
shows the details.) In May 2020, the GOJ called on local governments for utilizing
the “Guidelines for Disaster Planning, Response and Reconstruction from a Gender equal Perspective,” and the Fifth Basic Plan provides its thorough utilization.

Marriage and family relations
Response to paragraph 25
117. The Civil Code regulates the division of property upon divorce and does not
impose any restrictions on the method of dividing property. The Civil Code clearlystipulates the procedure to be taken by family courts when the parties do not reach an
agreement on the division of properties as well.
118. The revised Act on Civil Execution, which came into effect in April 2020,
established a new procedure for creditors who have a title of obligation such as acourt ruling. This new procedure enables the creditors to obtain information on the
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property of debtors from a third party other than the debtor. The revised Act also
strengthens the system of property disclosure. With these revisions, a woman who isconsidering to divorce is able to obtain information on her spouse’s savings, realestate and workplace from banks, registry office, or municipal government throughthe court if her spouse fails to pay child support.
119. The Fifth Basic Plan provides research and consideration to secure payment ofchild support, consideration of amendments in Acts to review the system of childsupport, and specific measures for safe and secure visits and contact. The GOJ
continues to give due consideration to these points.
120. The Civil Code stipulates two different rules for the determination of paternity
between a child born in and out of wedlock. The first rule is based on the idea that achild conceived by a wife during marriage is likely to be her husband’s child, and that
presuming a child to be naturally born in wedlock on the basis of marriage isconducive to the protection of the interests of the child. The second rule, on the other
hand, is based on the idea that it matches the interests of a child who was born out of
wedlock, where there is no such a presumption based on marriage, to establish his/herpaternity by either voluntary or forced recognition. The term “a child born out of
wedlock” merely refers to a child born between a man and a woman who are notlegally married, and it does not equate to discrimination against children born out of
wedlock at all. The revised Civil Code, which came into effect in 2013, stipulates thatchildren born both in and out of wedlock are entitled to have equal shares ofinheritance.

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