Women Today
A Message to Japanese Women in
Today’s World

United States Ambassador to Japan

Caroline Bouvier KENNEDY
I was fortunate to grow up in a family where people
taught by example, and took the time to pass importantvalues on to the next generation—service, patriotism,
respect for diversity and the opinions of others—andbelieved that each of us could do anything we’ve set
our hopes on.
Although the Kennedy men are more famous, mylife was dominated by strong and inspirational women,
so I believe that every day gives women a chance tomake a difference. I try to continue that tradition, andI have two daughters in their 20s who are now entering
the professional world, so I understand the importanceof mentors and role models.
My grandmother grew up in a time when women
couldn’t vote, yet there is no doubt that she was thepolitical genius in our family. My mother grew up in atime when married women didn’t work, but as soon as
my brother and I went to college, she got a job. My
aunt started Special Olympics to prove that people
with intellectual disabilities can participate in society,and built it into a worldwide organization with 1
million athletes and 3 million volunteers.
My own generation believed that our mothers andgrandmothers had been short-changed, and we owed it
to them to do it all. We entered the workforce in record
numbers, broke glass ceilings in politics and on theplaying fields, fought for reproductive rights and pay
equity.
In the United States, we’ve made tremendous
progress, but certainly have not solved all of ourproblems. This is an exciting time to be a woman inboth of our nations. Americans are lucky to have a
President who understands from his own life
experience the challenges women face. Like President
Obama, Prime Minister Abe has put women’s
empowerment front and center in the national debate.
He has recognized that women are the key to Japanese
economic recovery, and to a more dynamic and creative
society.
Your generation has the power and the
responsibility to show that women can succeed in theworkplace despite the obstacles. It is important foryour country, your families, and especially the millionsof little girls who are looking to you for inspiration.
It is an awesome responsibility, but having alreadymet so many dynamic and talented women here in
Japan in my few short months here, I know that you
will achieve great things.
For me personally, speaking about these issues is
not only important, but it’s personal. As the firstwoman to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Japan, I know

No.72 October 2014

that people are watching me too. I am following in thefootsteps of incredibly distinguished and experienced
ambassadors, all of whom were men.
So like you, I know that my performance will be
important, not just for me but for those who come afterme. But I am not worried. I know that we can all
succeed, especially if we work together.
I would like to share with you one of my favorite
quotations from Mary Church Terrell. She was thedaughter of slaves, and one of the first AfricanAmerican women to receive a college degree. She wasborn in the year that President Lincoln signed theEmancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves, anddied a few months after the U.S. Supreme Court
outlawed racial segregation in the historic Brown v.
Board of Education decision. The obstacles she faced
as a black woman are hard to even imagine. She spent
her whole life fighting for the rights of women, and wasa true pioneer who broke every barrier in her time. But
she realized that none of us can do it alone; we needeach other.
In her most famous essay, she wrote: “And so,
lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go,
struggling and striving, and hoping that the buds andblossoms of our desires will burst into glorious fruition
ere long. With courage, born of success achieved in thepast, with a keen sense of the responsibility which weshall continue to assume, we look forward to a future
large with promise and hope. Seeking no favors
because of our color, nor patronage because of ourneeds, we knock at the bar of justice, asking an equalchance.”Profile of Caroline Bouvier KENNEDY
Ambassador Caroline Bouvier KENNEDY is the firstfemale U.S. Ambassador to Japan. Prior to her nomination,
Ambassador Kennedy worked as a lawyer, author, andeditor. She has committed her life to public service, including
in education, for example serving as Vice Chair of the Boardof Directors and Honorary Director of The Fund for Public
Schools, and as Chief Executive of the Office of StrategicPartnerships of the New York City Department of Education.
Ambassador Kennedy holds a B.A. degree in Fine Arts from
Harvard University and a J.D. degree from Columbia
University. She is the daughter of John F. Kennedy, the 35th
President of the United States of America.
＊This is an excerpt from the opening remarks delivered by U.S.
Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy at TOMODACHIMetLife Women’s Leadership Program held in Tokyo on April
12, 2014.

1

Current Issues Series
Professor, Faculty of Law, the University of Kitakyushu

Masato NINOMIYANatural Disasters, Gender
Equality, and Women’s
Empowerment
Professor at Faculty of Law, the University of Kitakyushu.
Doctor of Laws. Technical Advisor of Specialist Committee
on Monitoring, Council for Gender Equality, Cabinet
Office. Member of the Disaster Reduction/Reconstruction
WG of the said Committee. In 1994, began to work for the
Faculty of Law, Kitakyushu University (as termed at thattime), and then served as a visiting scholar at Center on
International Organization at Columbia SIPA (School ofInternational and Public Affairs) from 2005 to 2006. In
2006, assumed his current position. In April 2014, became
Dean of Faculty of Law. Specializes in international law
and international organizations law.

(first half)

Gender equality and empowerment of women in natural
disasters are now attracting attention of internationalsociety. Did you know that Japan has been actively engaged
in generating this international trend?
From March 14 to 18, 2015, the 3rd UN World Conference
on Disaster Reduction will be held in Sendai, in order todiscuss the post-Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), which
was adopted in 2005.
Since this is a UN World Conference, representatives
from most of the countries in the world will gather in Sendai
next spring. As the host nation, and a country that has been
making active efforts to reduce disaster risks, Japan isrequired to demonstrate how to provide international
cooperation, including technical assistance, for lessdeveloped countries in terms of such efforts. In addition to
playing that role as a support provider, Japan is also
required to play a role as a country affected by natural
disasters; Japan needs to disseminate its lessons learned
from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the Great East
Japan Earthquake, and other disasters.
However, what lessons has Japan learned from such
experiences?
The response to the Great East Japan Earthquake hasrevealed many problems regarding gender equality. It isreported that 1) women could not fully participate indecision-making processes on various levels, such as not
only decision-making processes for disaster reduction andreconstruction policies on national and regional levels, butalso those for the response to disasters and the operation ofevacuation sites, with the result that few perspectives ofwomen were reflected; 2) appropriate consideration was notmade for differences in needs between men and women; 3)capabilities of women as valuable individuals who respondto disasters were not fully utilized; and 4) with accumulationof frustration in people’s daily lives, the tendency to follow
fixed gender roles was further strengthened.
After 2005, Japan continued promoting efforts toincorporate the perspective of gender equality into national
disaster reduction policies, by, for example, revising the
Basic Disaster Management Plan. Nevertheless, since thesepolicies were not viable enough, and since the policies did
not sufficiently permeate regional and local levels, theexperiences and lessons that Japan had obtained were notutilized at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake. As
a result, there arose the same difficulties that could havebeen avoided.
It is impossible to prevent the occurrence of natural
disasters. With sufficient preparation, however, it is possible
to reduce effects of such disasters. We will never repeat thesame mistakes – it is essential to share this view and to takeaction.
In May 2013, Gender Equality Bureau of Cabinet Officeestablished guidelines on efforts to promote disaster
reduction and reconstruction from the perspective of genderequality. Designed for officials of local governments, theguidelines are aimed to be used for activities to reduce
disaster on regional and local levels, in order to ensure thatthe national principle and policies of gender equality will
not simply end up as “pie in the sky.” The guidelines aremainly based on the following points: 1) women should bepositioned as independent individuals who respond todisasters; 2) sufficient consideration should be made fordifferences between men and women in terms of effects
generated by disasters; 3) safety and security should beensured with respect for human rights of men and women;4) gender equality should be promoted in cooperation
between private sectors and the government; 5) roles ofgender equality centers/departments should be clarified inboth normal times and an emergency ; and 6) due attention
should be paid to those who need support at the time ofdisasters and how to respond to them. A checklist regarding
necessary efforts has also been prepared. Do you know whattypes of efforts are being promoted in your city?
What lies beneath this is the recognition that theachievement of gender equality and empowerment of womenin all phases of a natural disaster, namely prevention,
emergency response, and restoration/reconstruction, areintegral to establishing a disaster-resistant society, which
reduces disaster and possesses resilience (ability to recoverfrom a disaster). Moreover, since what cannot be done
during normal times can never be done in an emergency, theguidelines insist that the promotion of gender equality on adaily basis serves as a foundation for and a key to disaster
reduction and reconstruction.
These perspectives are also incorporated into the tworesolutions submitted by the Japanese government andadopted at the UN Commission on the Status of Women(CSW) in 2012 and 2014 (CSW56 and 58) titled, “Gender
Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Natural Disasters.”2

No.72 October 2014

JJICAICA

Gender Mainstreaming Policies for Government Officers 2014

Under a commission from Kyushu International Center of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Kitakyushu Forumon Asian Women (KFAW) holds an annual seminar for central and local government officials in developing countries who are in chargeof gender mainstreaming policies.
The purpose of the seminar is to foster government officials in developing countries so as to comprehensively and effectively
promote gender mainstreaming policies toward a gender-equal society.
This year, the seminar was held for four weeks from May 26 to June 20, receiving eight participants from seven countries.

This seminar provides a well-balanced mix of lectures,workshops, site visits and presentations. Participants canlearn about administrative measures promoted by local
governments and various efforts made by non-profit
organizations (NPOs) and private companies. The seminar
curricula are designed to help participants comprehensively
understand the concepts and methods of gender mainstreaming
policies from perspectives of both theory and practice.
The seminar began with a presentation session on gender
problems in the participants’ home countries in order to share,
discuss and analyze the problems. This helped participantsmutually learn about situations in different countries.
Moreover, referring to their experiences, they discussed
factors involved and solutions for such gender problems.
Basic lectures and workshops were subsequently held forparticipants to obtain the necessary knowledge andWorkshop

methodology to develop effective gender mainstreaming
policies. Various examples of gender mainstreaming policies
promoted at national and local levels were presented by
Japanese government officials and experts, including“CEDAW and Efforts Promoted in Japan” and “Women andViolence.” This program helped them understand the methods
for making, implementing, and evaluating plans from theperspective of gender equality.
This seminar also included international interaction withcitizens of Kitakyushu, which was a good opportunity todirectly communicate and discuss gender issues. Participantsalso visited a nursery school and an elementary school in
Kitakyushu, and interacted with the children there.
The seminar concluded with a presentation of action plans
prepared by the participants with Project Cycle Management(PCM) method, which they had learned in this seminar.

Interaction event with citizens

Participants’ Messages and Impressions
The lecture on “Women and Violence” has helped me expand myperspective. I believe that gender-based violence is a serious issue inmany countries.

At the interaction event with citizens, I was
happy to be able to exchange opinions on
gender issues with them. The exchange withhigh school students also impressed me a lot.

In the lecture “CEDAW and Efforts Promoted in Japan,” I learned a
lot about Japan’s systematic efforts. Also, the textbook was useful for its
specific explanations.

PCM method enabled me to make anaction plan and put it into a specific andpractical form.

MOVE and KFAW provide excellent programs; they areimportant resources for increasing opportunities for women
to demonstrate their capabilities to the fullest extent
possible.

I feel that Japanese people’s mind to respect others lies
beneath their kindness, hospitality and willingness to help
others, and this attitude has been passed on from generation
to generation.

During the visit to an elementary school, I was impressed by the teacher’s instruction method. I would like to introduce this method
into my home country as one for gender education. Also, the visit enabled me to observe the good teamwork of the children and theirimpressive way of expressing their own opinions on gender issues.

No.72 October 20143

FY 2014/15 KFAW

Visiting Researchers and Research Themes

Research on Support for Female
Victims of Violence in Taiwan,
Province of China and Malaysia

Social Inclusion of Nepali
Women Migrants in Japan: Studies on Gaps between their
Needs and Present Social Safety
Nets for Foreign Residents

Visiting Researcher
Associate Professor, Harassment Consultation
Office, Hiroshima University

Visiting Researcher

Chisato KITANAKA

Associate Professor, Faculty of Integrated Human
Studies and Social Sciences, Fukuoka Prefectural University

Co-Researchers

Mayuko SANO

Professor, Faculty of Law, Kanagawa University

Masako INOUE

Co-Researchers
Associate Professor, Faculty of Global Studies, Sophia University

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Muroran Institute of Technology

Masako TANAKA

Aisa KIYOSUE

Chief Representative, Pourakhi Nepal

Senior Researcher, Center for Forensic Clinical Psychology, Ritsumeikan Univercity

Manju GURUNG

KIM Sung-Eun
Lecturer, Faculty of Health and Science, Kansai University of Welfare Sciences

Previous studies have revealed that foreign residents
in Japan tend to be excluded from Japanese society, mainly
due to legal, economic, and social barriers. As for Nepali
migrants, increasing rapidly in recent years, not even asurvey on the actual situation has been undertaken.
According to a report from a support organization forforeign residents in Japan, despite the increased numberof consultation cases by Nepali women, the responsivenesshas been insufficient.
Through interviews with Nepali in Tokyo Metropolis
and Fukuoka Prefecture, which rank first and second,
respectively, in terms of the number of Nepali residents,
this research will aim to reveal the actual living conditionsof Nepali women, from legal, economic and social aspects.
Thus, the research will make proposals regarding further
support for foreign women that are insufficient so far.
It is suggested that migrants from Nepal, a multilinguistic and multi-ethnic country, cannot easily establish
mutual-support organizations in Japan due to differencesin ethnicity and caste status among themselves, and that
Nepali women are not accustomed to using a safety net
outside their own families. By identifying gaps between
their needs and the actual situation, the research willcontribute to improving support for all foreign women.

Utako MATSUMURA
Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Law, Hokkaido University

LEE Yeonsuk
In recent years, different forms of violence against
women, such as domestic violence, stalking, and sexual
abuse, have become a major social concern. It is more
important than ever to implement appropriate victim
support and violence prevention measures from diverse
perspectives. However, Japan lags behind some other
Asian countries and regions, including Korea, Taiwan,
Province of China, and Hong Kong.
This research
will containsurveysthroughorganizations that support women victims of violence in
Malaysia and Taiwan , Province of China . It will also
contain comparisons and analyses of actual situations
regarding victims support . It will strive to reveal problems
regarding efforts to support victims in these countries (regions ), as well as goals and future challenges of the
support movements . Thus , it will aim to offer the support
providers specific information useful for improving existingsupport and legislation in Asian countries, including Japan.

1st Session: Debriefing on Participation in the U.N.
Commission on the Status of Women (CSW58)
▼▼FY 2014 KFAW Asian Researchers Network Seminars
2nd Session: “Missing Women” in Nepal
Date: July 25, Friday, 2014, 18:30 - 20:00

Date: April 11, Friday, 2014, 18:30 - 20:00

Lecturers: Mayuko SANO, Associate Professor, Faculty of Integrated

Lecturers: Yukiko ODA, Researcher, Kitakyushu Institute on Sustainability

Human Studies and Social Sciences, Fukuoka Prefectural University

Masato NINOMIYA, Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Kitakyushu

When looking at the sex ratio of the Asian population fromthe perspective of demography, the number of females isabnormally lower than that of males, which suggests
preferential selection of boys. Girls who could not come into thisworld or continue living after birth due to preferential selectionof boys are called “missing women.” In Nepal, since marrieddaughters are regarded as members of the families into which they
have married, sons inherit their parents’ property. In addition,
since wedding ceremony costs must be borne by the bride’s
family, sons are preferred to daughters.
Based on her field work performedin Nepal, she spoke about the actual
situation in Nepal, referring to theresults of her research.

The U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) takes
place annually in New York. At the debriefing held the otherday on participation in CSW58, Ms. ODA, who had attended thecommission under the KFAW’s status as a participating NGO,
spoke about the priority theme, “Challenges and Achievements
in Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) for Women and Girls.” She also talked about“Beijing+20,” which is to be the theme for CSW59. In addition,
Dr. NINOMIYA talked about theresolution submitted at CSW58 by
the Japanese Government, “Gender
Equality and Women’s Empowerment
in Natural Disasters.”

4No.72 October 2014

The 24th KFAW Foreign Correspon

dents Start-up Activities!

In 1991, the Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) established a foreign correspondents system to broadly networkwith people overseas, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Past and present foreign correspondents are in total 279 people
in 41 countries. This year, persons from 8 countries work as KFAW foreign correspondents. Through this network, KFAW willcontinue providing up-to-date information from various parts of the world. The profiles of the correspondents and other reports
are available at the KFAW website.

Bangladesh

CambodiaHong Kong

Ms. Doulot MALA

Mr. Phorn HOUN

Ms. Amelia LO

Special Correspondents,
The Financial Express

Scholarship Student,
The Pannasastra University of Cambodia

Graduate Student,
The University of Hong Kong

Indonesia

Netherlands

Philippines

Ms. Marisna YULIANTI

Ms. Junka BEKKERS

Ms. Arisa JUNIO

Lecturer,
Mercu Buana University

Housewife

Project Associate,
Ateneo de Manila University

Sri Lanka

Uzbekistan

Ms. Vindhya WEERATUNGA

Ms. Chisako WAKAMATSU

Chief Executive Officer,
LAHES-The Corporate Campus

Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers,
Japan International Cooperation Agency

Foreign Correspondents’ Report
ProfileGender Issues from the Perspectiveof Dutch Labor System

After I graduated from Seinan Gakuin University, I worked
for Fukuoka Prefecture Municipalities Officials Mutual Aid
Association. I got married and moved to the Netherlands. I
have two children. I find that the Netherlands is an advanced
country where people have flexible perception toward genderissue. As an foreign correspondent I will deliver real-time

Ms. Junka BEKKERS (The Netherlands)

information of the Netherlands.

When discussing gender issues, I should mention a worksharing system in the Netherlands. This system wasintroduced at the time of severe economic recession in theearly 1980s during which the unemployment rate was ashigh as 12%. To overcome the problem, in 1982 theWassenaar Agreement was concluded between thegovernment, labor unions and employers’ organizations.
Following revision of the labor law in 1996 and establishmentof the working hours adjustment law in 2000, the worksharing system was fully launched in the country. The
system’s mainstay lies in 1) reduction of working hours and2) introduction of part-time work.
Reduction of working hours is implemented in order tostabilize employment in economic recession. In a typicalcase, eight hours per worker is reduced to six. A government’s
permission is required to introduce this system, because
workers actually have no choice between shorter working
hours or unemployment.
The part-time working system in the Netherlands iswell-prepared unlike in Japan. In the Netherlands, it is very
common to work just four weekdays, or 32 hours. Most
people spend the rest weekday enjoying their hobbies orinteracting with their families. In addition, flex-time iscommon, enabling workers to decide on their own when towork. Moreover, both full-time and part-time workers aretreated as permanent staff, which means that they are
equally paid per hour, and obtain the same level of benefits,

No.72 October 2014

such as days-off and bonuses, depending on their working
hours. The idea is that the same working conditions are
given for the same work. However, if a temporary employment
agency is involved, the hourly payment that the worker
gains is lower by a few percentage points.
As for the two points mentioned above, both men andwomen enjoy equal rights. The reality is, however, in a
typical case of a family with a child, the mother works parttime two or three days a week, while the father works fourdays a week. As a result, the amount of household chores
performed by women is slightly higher than that by men.
This type of working style is seen at both private companies
and government institutions, which is new to me.
The system is effective not only in stabilizing domestic
employment, but also in increasing the time a family canspend together and in ensuring that household chores areshared equally between men and women.
My brother-in-law and his wife had a baby girl last year.
Until then, they both had worked five days a week, but they
now work only four days a week. They set each of their days
off on different weekdays, and use a child care center on theother three days. On the days the baby stays at the center,my sister-in-law takes the baby to the center in the morning,when my brother-in-law has already begun to work, using
flex-time. In the evening, he picks her up. This way ofworking enables both fathers and mothers to be fully
engaged in household chores and child-raising. Additionally,5

if both parents work and leave their children at a child carecenter, they may be eligible to receive a government childcare allowance as part of the social security system
according to their income.
When I take my son to and from school every day, I often
see fathers do the same. In Japan, it is often assumed thatmothers should handle the school-related needs. But in the
Netherlands fathers share that responsibility equally withmothers. Moreover, for children whose parents cannot pickthem up after school due to work, schools cooperate withchild care centers. Specifically, a child care center picks up
registered children at the school, and their parents pickthem up at the center as soon as they finish work. In thisway, well-established social security measures exist for thesake of children. Furthermore, almost all towns have large
facilities or natural parks that people can use for a few euros

a day, or sometimes free of charge. Children enjoy themselves
surrounded by nature.
Thanks to this type of interaction between children andparents, and due to social support, the Netherlands boasts
first place in the ranking of countries where children feel
happy.

It’s 16:00. Using flex-time,
my brother-in-law finishes
wor k ear ly four days aweek. He’s picking up his
daughter at the child carecenter. Many fathers likehim are actively engaged inchild-raising, and the social
environment supports suchfathers.

ProfileYoung Female Leaders for
the Future

I am the Director/Chief Executive Officer of ‘LAHES – The Corporate
Campus’, the education subsidiary of the diversified business conglomerate,
LAUGFS Holdings, Sri Lanka. LAHES – The Corporate Campus offers
academic, vocational and executive education programs. I hold an
Associate of Science Degree in Management (Summa Cum Laude Honors)
and a Bachelor of Science in International Business Management (Magna
Cum Laude Honors) from the United States, where I also started my careerin Human Resources. I have a Master in Business Administration (Merit)from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka and am an Associate
Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, U.K.

Ms. Vindhya WEERATUNGA (Sri Lanka)
Role of females has evolved over the years. Not so long
ago, the primary role of females was raising children andhousehold chores. However, with globalization and change
in lifestyles, females started gaining a higher level of
education, entering the job market and were exposed to theoutside world. This was the same in Sri Lanka.
Today, in Sri Lanka, females have a 91% literacy rate
and more females than males go for university education.
However, in the labor force, only 34% is female.

and full-fledged day care centers.
Another reason may be that historically, leadership has
carried the notion of masculinity and the belief that men
make better leaders than women is still common today.
Certain jobs are perceived as ‘male jobs’, mainly due to thework hours, type of skill required (e.g. managing a large
male work force) and location. Therefore, some industries‘prefer’ males to females.
However, females are looking at different options where
they can maintain a work-life balance and be successfulcareer women. This is evident from the rising number offemale business owners including those engaging in familybusiness. They gain flexibility to play multiple roles.
There are some female leaders as role models in Sri
Lanka in diverse industries such as financial services,apparel, telecommunication, IT, advertising, etc. They havecommon characteristics. Having a personal brand as afemale leader in the country, they are strong-minded,
conscientious and maintain ethical standards. The
foundation to groom females to assume leadership roles
needs to be laid at a young age. Traditionally, girls are
guided towards careers such as teaching which would enable
them to balance work and life. However, the girls raised incities are more exposed to the corporate world and find theirway into the business arena.
It is, therefore, important to raise both boys and girls
with the same ideologies to take on leadership roles inwhatever field they choose. Young girls need to be coached,mentored and equipped with skills that will enable them toface challenges in a leadership position and a complex
business environment. Good governance, corporate social
responsibilities and ethics will be vital game changers for
tomorrow’s world. More female leaders will certainly bringa brighter future to Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Government Ministry Secretaries

Only a few females have climbed to the top in theircareers. Although more females than males work in the
public sector, only 9 are female out of the 59 Ministry
Secretaries (the highest rank in the public sector). Also inthe private sector, there are only a few female Chief
Executive Officers/Chairpersons. This is certainly a paradox
as the World’s first female Prime Minister was from Sri Lanka
and the country also had a female executive President.
There are a number of reasons for this situation.
Even though females excel in studies, as they enter thelabor force, they are faced with societal pressures to getmarried. For young couples, looking after children andattending to their needs has become a challenge. As a result,more and more educated professional females are leaving
their careers. Sri Lanka is yet to embrace flexi-time system

6

No.72 October 2014

Information

ISSN 0918-8266

25th Kitakyushu Conference on Asian Women“Entrepreneurship: An Emerging Saurce of Employment for Women”
The 25th Kitakyushu Conference on Asian Women will explore “entrepreneurship” as a main theme. At the conference, Ms.
Keiko OSAKI from the UN will speak about international statistical approaches about women entrepreneurs, based on results of
the UN expert group meeting on gender statistics to be held from December 3 to 5 in Kitakyushu. Subsequently, Ms. Eriko
YAMAGUCHI, the founder of Motherhouse Co., Ltd., which sells bags produced at a factory in Bangladesh in Japanese andTaiwanese markets, will share her experience as a female entrepreneur.
The subsequent panel discussion will introduce examples of businesses set up by women in the Philippines and Indonesia,
as well as entrepreneurs support measures promoted in Kitakyushu and other parts of Japan.
Date: December 6, 2014, Saturday, 13:30 – 16:00
Venue: Kitakyushu Municipal Gender Equality Center “MOVE,”
Main Seminar Room, 5th Floor

Capacity: 100 persons (first come, first served)
Child care service available. 500 yen per child(Reservation required.)

Keynote Lectures

Panelists

Ms. Eriko YAMAGUCHI (Chief Designer, CEO, Motherhouse Co., Ltd.)
Ms. Lina CASTRO (Interim Deputy National Statistician, Philippine Statistics Authority)
Ms. Gloria ARLINI (Assistant Director, Nusantara Development Initiatives, NPO in Singapore)
Mr. Hidetoshi YOSHIMURA

Ms. Keiko OSAKI
Chief, Demographic and Social
Statistics Branch, United Nations
Statistics Division

Ms. Eriko YAMAGUCHI
Chief Designer, CEO,
Motherhouse Co., Ltd.

(Professor, Institute for Urban and Regional Policy Studies, the University of Kitakyushu)
Coordinator

Ms. Mitsuko HORIUCHI (President, Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women)

Inviting Participants for KFAW Study Tour:“ Learn International Cooperation in the Philippines 2014”
During this tour, you can learn about poverty in the Philippines andinternational cooperation, by visiting facilities for women and children
and experiencing interaction at such facilities, having a homestay witha family of the Aeta, an indigenous people in the Philippines, andvisiting fair trade producers and slums.
By offering many opportunities for you to meet and interact withnew people, the tour will enable you to learn
a lot about the problems faced by people
living in the Philippines and help you to think
about what you can do to help. We lookforward to your participation.

Period: February 23, Monday, 2015 to March 4, Wednesday
Capacity: 
15 persons (first come, first served) <Minimum
number of participants: 5>
Travel price: 121,000 yen <including round-trip airfare (economy
class), fuel surcharge, airport use fee, etc.>
Application deadline: December 10, Wednesday, 2014

■For details of the study tour, please see the KFAW
website.
http://www.kfaw.or.jp/event/kfaw20142622332.html

Opinion Exchange Meeting Held in Kitakyushu RegardingSeminar on DV Prevention, Follow-up Seminar for

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan is currently
establishing an action plan in cooperation with related
government offices and other groups in order to implement
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (the first
UN Security Council resolution clearly connecting womenwith issues of peace and security) and other relevant
instruments.
The event that took place the other day was one of theopinion exchange meetings in order to reflect the opinionsof as many people as possible into the action plan.
Following the one held in Okinawa on February 28, thiswas the second in the series.

The Seminar on DV Prevention titled “Practices of DV Victim
Assistance – Situations of DV Victimized Mother and Child -” was given
by Ms. Masayo TAKENOSHITA, from Women’s Counseling Kyoto.
Ms. TAKENOSHITA, who offers psychological assistance to
DV victimized mothers/children and other victims, spoke about
victimized children’s cruel reality that they are narrowly living in DV
environment with their mothers, considering that eyewitnessing DV
is child abuse. She stressed that it was important for victims to havesomeone who shared their hardships.
In the afternoon, Ms. Keiko NAKATA, the representative of DV
Prevention Nagasaki, held Follow-up Seminar for Facilitators of
Dating DV Preventive Education. First, the activity report waspresented by DV Prevention Kitakyushu Maple Leaf whichorganized dating DV preventive education at high schools anduniversities in Kitakyushu City. Then Ms. NAKATA gave a lecture on“Challenges in Promoting Dating DV Prevention.” In the second halfof the session, the participants discussed challenges in dating DV
preventive education through a group discussion.

the Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (May 31)■For the contents of the opinion exchange meeting, please
see the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/gaiko/women/index.html

Location of
Kitakyushu

KITAKYUSHU OTEMACHI BUILDING 3F
OTEMACHI 11-4, KOKURAKITA, KITAKYUSHU, 803-0814 JAPAN
PHONE＋81-93-583-3434 FAX＋81-93-583-5195
E-mail: kfaw@kfaw.or.jp URL: http://www.kfaw.or.jp/index.html.en

DalianBeijing

Facilitators of Dating DV Preventive Education (August 10)

Seoul

Tokyo
Kitakyushu

KFAW
The Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) was established in October of 1990 with a special
government fund for revitalization projects. Subsequently, in 1993, the KFAW was recognized as afoundation by the Ministry of Labour (the present Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The purposeof the KFAW is to promote the improvement of women's status through various projects as well as their
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mutual understanding and cooperation in Asia.

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TM