Women Today
Can the Sustainable Development
Goals Act as a New, Effective Measure
for Achieving Gender Equality?

Gender Advisor for Asia & the Pacific, United
Nations Development Programme（UNDP）

Ms. Koh MIYAOIIn September 2015, the Sustainable Development
Goals(SDGs)were adopted in New York by leaders of
the United Nations member states. Based on theMillennium
Development
Goals(MDGs),
which
previously served as guidelines for world development,
the SDGs have resulted in excellent progress in theworld development agenda. Unlike the MDGs, which set
sustainable development as their main goal with focus
on developing countries, the SDGs have been developedwith consideration given to participation and action by
all types of countries, including poor, rich, and middleincome countries. The SDGs clearly indicate that theroot cause of poverty cannot be corrected withoutcomprehensive development in a wide variety of fields,
including not only economic development, but also theimprovement of social systems and services, and theestablishment and operation of governmentalorganizations.
The 17 goals in the SDGs represent the philosophyof comprehensively and tenaciously tackling both newchallenges regarding development(economy, education,
health, social security, employment opportunities,
gender equality, climate change, environmental
protection,
inequality,
infrastructure,energy,consumption, biodiversity, oceans, and industrialization)and existing problems that have been preventing
sustainable development so far.
As well as the MDGs, which incorporated genderequality as one of their eight goals, the SDGs also
include a goal that is exclusively dedicated to genderequality. SDG 5 is to “Achieve gender equality andempower all women and girls,” however, the road to theadoption of this as a separate goal was far from straight.
Many thorough discussions were held among an
extensive range of stakeholders, such as governments,
civil society, and United Nations organizations.
Gender equality is covered by other goals as well, forexample, by SDG 10: “Reduce inequality within andamong countries.” Despite that, gender equality has
been established as an individual, separate goal in SDG
5. Behind this is a concern that the focus of gender
discrimination and inequality, almost exclusively
against women, could be blurred if placed in the big
framework of “sustainable development.” Consideringthat such discrimination and inequality remain deeply
entrenched in society, economics, and politics, it isnecessary to set a clearly specified goal with a straightfocus on the problem.
Since the Fourth World Conference on Women, held

No.76 March 2016

in Beijing in 1995, the recognition that gender equality
is a prerequisite to development and peace has been
growing on a global level. This growth is partly thanks
to the MDGs, and accordingly, there has been a gradualimprovement in women’s human rights regarding
equality. Compared to the other development goals,
however, the speed of improvement is slower, and theimprovement varies widely depending on the country. It
has now been 20 years since the conference in Beijing.
Still, gender equality has continued to be set as anindividual and separate goal, and one of the reasons forthis is a strong determination never to waste the resultsthat have been achieved so far.
As indicated by the evolution from the MDGs to theSDGs, problems regarding development are becoming
more and more complicated. So are the synergy
generated by interaction between such problems is also
becoming more and more complicated. The SDGs havebeen established based on the perspective that tocomprehensively address development problems, which
cover a broad range of fields, is the best way tosustainable development. The effective way to a generalachievement of the SDGs is not to separate the 17 goals
and strive to attain each one, but to analyze and clarify
the connections between the factors behind each goal
and use that knowledge effectively. In this process, theachievement of gender equality will serve as a critical
driving force for accomplishing not only SDG 5, but also
the other goals.
This generates the innovative effects of the SDGs.
Gender inequality prevents sustainable development.
To abolish such inequality, it is necessary not only to set
a goal exclusively dedicated to the problem, but also toadopt the approaches of incorporating gender equality
as a driving force to solve various problems. By doing so,
I believe that the expectations of the world on the SDGs
will be fulfilled in a tangible manner.

Biography of Ms. Koh MIYAOI
After graduating from University of East Anglia with Bachelorof International Development and Master of Gender Analysis
in International Development, Ms. Koh Miyaoi has beenworking for promoting gender equality in several institutionsof the United Nations from 1996. She currently works as
Gender Advisor for Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations
Development Programme(UNDP)from December, 2014.

1

Current Issues Series
ANGKOR COOKIES CO.,LTD, President

Ms.Sachiko KOJIMA

Began working as a Japanese-language instructor
in 1999 in Cambodia. Established ANGKORCOOKIES in 2004 to provide employment
opportunities for women in Cambodia. The firm
currently employs about 100 local staff members,
and manufactures confectionery using domestic
ingredients and sells them as souvenirs, such as
cookies shaped like the World Heritage site Angkor
Wat. Built the companyʼs farm in Siem Reap in 2013,
thus launching a project of developing agriculture in
Cambodia into a so-called “sextiary industry.”

The Past 10 Years and the Next
10 Years in Cambodia

When I was a junior at university, I traveled to China,
where I was truly stimulated by the exciting atmospheretypical to Asia, and made me feel like experiencing the chaosof the region even more, and working in a foreign country.
Taking a year’s leave of absence from school, I obtained aqualification as a Japanese-language instructor.
My original plan was to begin working as a Japaneselanguage instructor under a program of the Japan Overseas
Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) immediately after thegraduation from university. In reality, however, I continued
to fail the program’s examination, so I decided to save money
and use it to go abroad. After graduation I began working
not as a full-time employee, but as a part-time worker, andactually I had a few part time jobs at the same time. While
working that way I was able to join a local Japanese-language
school as an instructor, and my long-cherished desire wasfulfilled.
However, while working as an instructor in Japan, my
passion to work in a foreign country continued to grow.
Though I had a job, I took the examination for a JOCV
program several times, but continued to fail. A few years had
already passed since graduating from university, but I was
still in Japan. Compared with my friends from university,
who were demonstrating their capabilities as full-time
employees at their companies, I totally lost my confidence. In
this situation, I decided to apply for a position at a private
Japanese language school, rather than continue taking theexamination for the JOCV program. At age 26, I felt this was
my last chance to do so.
The Japanese language school, located in Cambodia,
opened the door to realizing my dream of working abroadand served as the starting point of my current career. In
1999, shortly after the end of the country’s civil war, I cameto Siem Reap, Cambodia at age 26; the country was still in achaotic situation. After doing a wide variety of jobs such as aJapanese-language instructor and a tour guide, in 2004 I
established ANGKOR COOKIES. Siem Reap, where I live
now, is a historic city with the World Heritage site Angkor
Wat. Since it was expected that the city would draw more
sightseers in the future, I decided to set up a company tomake souvenirs for sightseers.
Behind this decision was a phrase from a young
Cambodian man I met when working as a Japaneselanguage instructor. He told me that there was no future forpoor people. For a long time I could not forget the phrase,

which motivated me to found the company. I wanted to create
an environment where people born in poor families without
education could become independent and demonstrate theircapabilities, as long as they had motivation.
At that time I focused on establishing a company rather
than an NGO. I believe that people feel confidence and pridein themselves when they realize that they are of use forsociety. I wanted people in Cambodia to live their lives byworking and earning, rather than by receiving support from
NGOs and volunteers. Poor people in Cambodia lackeducational opportunities, but they have excellent potential
and capabilities, and are far from being incompetent. With
opportunities, they can become independent and live more
fulfilling lives.
Since I would like to especially help women become
independent, I have been actively employing women fromrural areas. Currently, my company employs 90 people, morethan 90% of whom are women. Nothing pleases me morethan seeing people who joined my company in their teens get
married, have babies, and sustain families. Since mostemployees at my company are women, pregnant women arealways present. A few years ago I established an in-housenursery to enable female employees to work without worrying
about their children. I feel that a company where you canhear children laughing or crying is very energetic.
Now that more than 10 years have passed since
establishing the company, and the company has stabilized, I
have launched a new project for the next 10 years. Although
there are employment opportunities in urban areas, farmers
and others in rural areas suffer from low income and live
hard lives, which force many of them to go to neighboring
countries to find jobs. The country’s economic development
ironically has made it tough for people in rural areas to live
their lives.
To help such farmers live richer lives, I would like todevelop agriculture into a so-called “sextiary industry,”
thereby processing local specialties into attractive items andselling them after proper branding. Although it will takesome time before I present a successful case, I firmly believethat I can do it. A firm belief in yourself can pave the way torealizing your dreams. Now, I feel incredibly happy that I
can live in Cambodia and contribute to the country.

2

No.76 March 2016

26

the

th

Kitakyushu Conference on Asian Women
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2015, 13:30 – 16:00
Venue: L arge Seminar Room, 5th Floor, Kitakyushu Municipal Gender Equality Center MOVE

In her keynote address titled “Promoting Women’s Active Participation - In Cooperation with Asia,” Ms. Asako OSAKI, an expert on
development policies and gender issues who is active in a wide variety of organizations, including a government-affiliated body, an internationalorganization, an NGO, and a research institute, spoke about current problems future visions and regarding women’s active participation in Japanand other Asian countries.
Afterwards, panelists from foreign countries (specifically, Hong Kong and Vietnam) gave presentations on the reality of women’s active
participation in Asia. In addition, Japanese panelists spoke about their experiences and the reality of women’s active participation in Japan. These
presentations helped the audience understand better what should be done to promote women’s active participation.

▲

Keynote Addresselderly and the sick) in households and society as a whole, as well
as how to promote women’s participation in the development ofsocial infrastructure. The perspective of gender equality has not
yet been incorporated in all economic measures, which has
resulted a gender gap in terms of labor wages and labor
conditions.

Ms.Asako OSAKI(Visiting Professor, School of Policy Studies,
Kwansei Gakuin University / Director, Plan Japan)

International Society’s Common
Targets from a Global Perspective

What is Necessary for Women to “Shine” in a True Sense?

The title of today’s address is “Promoting Women’s Active
Participation.” It is said that women’s active participation is a
global issue, which means that it is an issue being tackled not
only in a certain region, but all over the world.
Presently, common targets for international society include
gender equality and women’s empowerment. Behind this trend
are activities promoted by the United Nations. The main pillarsof the United Nations’ activities are 1) peace and security; 2)development; and 3) human rights. Of the three, “development”
seeks to ensure that each individual can fulfill his/her own
innate potential and live a life of dignity as a member of society.

To enable women to actively participate in society “without
any concerns,” it is necessary to ensure that both men andwomen equally share their family budget responsibilities andfamily responsibilities in general. This will promote genderequality, which will attract more investment from foreign
investors who regard gender equality as an investment index,
and will result in a positive economic effect.
In Japan, the government has set the target of having 30% of
leading positions occupied by women by 2020. Certainly, it is said
that if people with a certain attribute try to affect decision
making, it is necessary to ensure that at least 30% of decision
making positions are occupied by people with that attribute.
Nevertheless, the important thing is not just to secure a sufficientnumber of people, but to promote gender equality from theviewpoints of laws, government policies, budgets, and people’s
awareness. Furthermore, it is also integral to develop young
female leaders who will address social problems in the future.

Women’s Empowerment – Essential Element forDevelopment Assistance
After the establishment of the United Nations in 1945, themain focus of efforts related to development was placed on
support for reconstruction from the war. In the past 20 years,
however, the focus has shifted to human development. Whatis necessary for realizing development is to ensure thathuman rights as well as health, education, and means of
livelihood are respected, and that people can participate inpolitics and society. In short, the key to this lies in commitment,
which will give people power, or empowerment.

▲

Panel Discussion<Panelists>- Ms.Asako OSAKI(Visiting Professor, School of Policy Studies, Kwansei Gakuin

Women’s Empowerment based on Economic Rationality

University / Director, Plan Japan)

To realize this basic principle (ideal), a wide variety ofinternational frameworks regarding women have been established.
Motivations for promoting women’s active participation include, ofcourse, the principle itself and the international frameworks, but
the most influential motivation is economic rationality. It is expectedthat women’s active participation will lead to an increase in theworkforce, improvements in competitiveness and investment
effects, and the generation of a ripple effect. Over the past 15 years,
the focus has been placed on women’s active participation from an
economic perspective.

- Ms.Nguyen Thi TUYET(Vietnam / Vice President of Hanoi Women’s Union)- Ms.Clarie LO(Hong Kong / Member of the Steering Committee of the Hong
Kong Basic Law, Member of the Appeal Board of the Financial
Disputes Resolution Council)- Ms.Masako KATSUKI(Sales Manager, Kitakyushu Head Office, the Nishinippon
Shimbun)- Mr.Harumichi YUASA(Deputy President & Professor, Institute of Information Security

International Society’s Common Challenges in 2015

/ Director, Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women)

In 2015, international society’s common challenges include
how to redistribute the burden of unpaid care labor (such as
unpaid household chores, child-rearing, and nursing care of theNo.76 March 2016

<Coordinator>- Ms.Mitsuko HORIUCHI(President, Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women)

3She has decided to sacrifice herself for her younger female
coworkers. According to her, she continued to request thecompany to develop career plans to enable them to feel hopefulabout their futures and raise their children without any concerns
while working. The percentage of female newspaper reporters,
accordingly, has increased to 15.6% (as of October 1) at thecompany. In addition, career plans are being developed so thateach female worker can be promoted in her own field of expertise.
Furthermore, women’s voices are now being reflected in thecontents of the newspaper, gradually leading to fair reporting
without gender bias.
She insisted that if female employees at the company
continued to speak up, they could change the company andcontents of the newspaper, and eventually eliminate gender bias
around the world. She also indicated that to increase the numberof female managers, it was important for women to continue towork and to develop cross-sectional networks among them, as
well as for companies’ top management to receive trainings andawareness raising programs to change their attitude about thepromotion of women.

Activities in Hanoi to Realize Gender Equal Society

Ms. Nguyen Thi TUYETThe Vietnam Women’s Union is an organization for women
aged 18 or over. With the involvement of representatives fromgovernmental organizations and related government agencies,
the organization carries out various activities for women’sequality, development, and progress. In the country’s capital
Hanoi, the organization’s action policy is implemented by the
Hanoi Women’s Union. Ms. Nguyen Thi TUYET, Vice Presidentof the Hanoi Women’s Union, shared with the audience theresults of the organization’s activities.
According to her, the major results include theimplementation of political measures to realize a gender equal
society, the creation of employment opportunities throughvocational training and financial support, an increase in life
expectancy through the provision of medical care services andreproductive health care services, and the improvement in
women’s education and morals through the spread of educational
activities.
At the same time, there are such challenges that prejudiceagainst women and belief in the superiority of men over women
still exist in society, as well as that some women are stillsatisfied with their low self-esteem and do not believe in theirown capabilities.

Current Situation on Women’sParticipation in Kitakyushu

Ms. Clarie LO

Ms. Clarie LO shared with the audience the current situationof women in Hong Kong, especially in terms of education andemployment.
Regarding employment, there is a concern in Hong Kong
about the low employment rate for women. She spoke aboutmeasures conducted when she worked for the government, inorder to increase the female workforce participation rate. One ofsuch measures is the relaxation of regulations on foreign workers.
Currently, approximately 300,000 foreign people work in Hong
Kong, and serve as essential support for working women.
According to her, this support has led to the improvement of thefemale workforce participation rate, and even to an increase in thenumber of women promoted to higher positions.
Nevertheless, the number of women engaged in top-level
decision-making is still very small. She insisted that it wasnecessary to implement measures to develop young female leadersboth in the public and private sectors.

Women’s Active Participation : Current Situation
and Challenges Seen from a Newspaper Company


Mr. Harumichi YUASA

Based on the previous progress and current situation regarding
women’s active participation in Kitakyushu, Mr. Harumichi
YUASA suggested future challenges and measures to be taken.
Using statistics, he explained the following facts: comparedwith other ordinance-designated cities in Japan, Kitakyushu has
been making advanced efforts toward a gender equal society; andKitakyushu has shown the most outstanding progress in genderequality among all ordinance-designated cities in the country.
Despite this situation, the problem is that the percentage ofwomen taking leadership positions is still low, resulting ininsufficient participation of women in decision-making regarding
policies and courses of action. In addition, it is expected that in thenear future, the Japanese population structure will become aninverted pyramid, which means that a small number of those inyounger generations need to support a large number of those insenior generations.
Based on these problems, he said that the key lied in how to
consider the relationship between child-rearing support and genderequality. He concluded by indicating as follows: realizing a society
where people can raise their children while working is not exactly
the same as promoting a gender equal society, but it is important to
act with consideration given to the balance, relation, and overlapping
part of the two themes.

Current Situation of Women in Hong Kong

ActiveMs. Masako KATSUKI

Ms. Masako KATUSKI from the Nishinippon Shimbun has
blazed a trail as a female manager in a local company. Based onher own experiences, she spoke about the current situation andchallenges regarding women’s active participation.
She joined the company in the following year after theenactment of the Equal Employment Opportunity Law. She was
the only woman among the 27 new employees at the company. In
those days, there were no role models or career planning for
women at the company, causing her to face many problems andemotional conflicts. Based on this experience, she spoke about
how she felt about her younger female coworkers.

At the panel discussion

4

No.76 March 2016

Interaction between the Hanoi Women’s Union
and Women’s Organizations in Kitakyushu▲

First Session: Interaction Meeting

On Sunday, November 1, we held an interaction program
between Ms. Nguyen Thi TUYET, Vice President of the Hanoi
Women’s Union, Vietnam, along with two other senior
members of the organization, and women’s organizations in
Kitakyushu. Ms. Nguyen Thi TUYET had participated in the
26th Kitakyushu Conference on Asian Women, held on
Saturday, October 31, 2015, as a panelist.
The interaction between the Hanoi Women’s Union and
KFAW started in 2013 when the Union participated in aseminar held by KFAW. In FY 2015, the participants in the
study tour organized by KFAW visited the Union’s
headquarters in Hanoi. This was followed by the abovementioned international interaction program held in
Kitakyushu between women’s organizations in Kitakyushu
and the Hanoi Women’s Union.

(Venue: Conference Room, 3rd floor, Kitakyushu Municipal
Gender Equality Center MOVE)

Report on Activities Implemented by the Hanoi
Women’s Union
The Hanoi Women’s Union explained mainly about its
organizational structure and main duties. The Union
implements a wide variety of activities for women’s equality anddevelopment, with its duties including a wide range of
responsibilities, such as providing employment support andencouraging women to participate in social activities.

Report on Activities Implemented by Women’s
Organizations in Kitakyushu
Using slides, DVDs, and leaflets, each organization gave aneasy-to-understand explanation on its activities. This served asa good opportunity for not only the Hanoi Women’s Union, butalso the women’s organizations in Kitakyushu to recognize one
another’s activities once again.

▲

Participants

Second Session: Lunch Meeting (Venue: Harmonie Cinq Hotel)
The interaction meeting was followed by a lunch meeting.
With the attendance of the Mayor of Kitakyushu City, thelunch meeting was held in a friendly atmosphere. The participants
exchanged comments on various topics. The Japanese participants
asked questions about the details of the activities carried out by
the Hanoi Women’s Union, as well as about women and families
in Vietnam. The Vietnamese participants answered that
Vietnamese women wanted to have many children, three
generations lived together in many families, and many families inurban areas employedhousehold helpers (maids).
Sharing a wide variety of
information,
theparticipants were able tohave a better understandingof one another.

▲

Ms.Nguyen Thi TUYET(Vice President, Hanoi Women’s
Union)
Ms.Le Thi Thien HUONG(Vice President, Hanoi Women’s
Union)
Ms.Duong Thi Ly ANH(Chairperson of Law and
Policies, Hanoi Women’s Union)

At the interaction program

Representatives of Five Women’s Organizations in Kitakyushu(Two to four representatives from each organization)Council of Women’s Groups of Kitakyushu
Kitakyushu Council to Promote Better Eating Habits
Kitakyushu Association of Nursery & Kindergarten
Teachers
National Federation of Business and Professional
Women’s Clubs of Japan, Kitakyushu
Training Network for Leaders of Lifelong Learning

Commemorative photograph taken
at the lunch meeting venue

Career Development Program for University Students
The photograph shows the career development program held at
Kyushu International University, with the invited guest speaker
Ms. Kazuko TSUCHIYA from Zenrin Co., Ltd. To encourage
students to consider the importance of a work-life balance anddiversity, Ms. TSUCHIYA spoke about her career, as well as about
her difficulties in striking the right balance between work andfamily, and how to overcome such difficulties. She also talked
about her company’s strategies regarding diversity and humanresources development.
Participating students commented in line with the following:- She seems to be enjoying both her work and family life very much,making me feel that I want to be like her.
- I’m impressed that she went to university even after giving birth,and is still going to university. I also would like to work hard.
- From her talk, I’ve learned that it is better to prepare your life
planning at an early phase.

KFAW prepares a career development program for university
students, and provides on-site seminars. This fiscal year, we held seminars
under the program at the following four universities in Kitakyushu. In
addition, we ran a seminar featuring a female company manager as a role
model
for
femaleworking professionals.
Moreover, as part of our
newlydeveloped
program for high school
students, we held amodel seminar at
Wakamatsu
High
School in cooperation
with
KyushuLecture at Kyushu International University International University.
(Ms. TSUCHIYA from Zenrin)

No.76 March 20165

■ Kyushu International University
Dates: Tuesday, June 23, 2015, 16:20 - 17:50, No. of participants: 34
Friday, December 25, 2015, 13:00 - 14:30, No. of participants: 47
14:40 - 16:10, No. of participants: 47■ Seinan Jo Gakuin University
Dates: Monday, June 15, 2015, 14:40 - 16:10, No. of participants: 173
Friday, June 19, 2015, 14:40 - 16:10, No. of participants: 167■ Kyushu Kyoritsu University
Dates: Monday, June 29, 2015, 10:45 - 11:30, No. of participants: 203
Tuesday, June 30, 2015, 14:50 - 15:35, No. of participants: 242■ Wakamatsu High School
Date: Thursday, August 6, 2015, 9:30 - 11:30, No. of participants: 30■ Nishinippon Institute of Technology
Date: Thursday, October 29, 2015, 09:00 - 10:30, No. of participants: 30

Report on KFAW Research Program
The Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) conducts research on women in Asia, with the purpose of promoting the realization of agender equal society . This fiscal year , KFAW ’s Chief Researcher carried out research on “Activities Performed by Women ’s
Organizations in Local Communities.” In addition, two teams of visiting researchers worked on the themes of “Support for DV Victims in Taiwan,
Province of China and Malaysia,” and “Nepalese People Living in Japan – Their Capabilities and Living Conditions.” Below is a summary of
the research conducted by KFAW’s Chief Researcher on “Activities Performed by Women’s Organizations in Local Communities.”

In Indonesia, the system of neighborhood associations that wasestablished when the country was occupied by Japan during theSecond World War still exists. In addition, during the period of
New Order, women’s activities called PKK were conducted acrossthe country under the leadership of the government in order tomobilize women for development projects. Even after the
democratization, these also still exist as local activities. In a local
community in the suburbs of Jakarta, where the research was
conducted, PKK serves as an opportunity for women to get the
information from the city authority, and to carry out neighborhood
activities. At the PKK meeting, information from the government
is communicated, and amutual financing association
called Arisan is also held.
The research results by
the KFAW Chief Researcher
and visiting researchers will
be available in Asia Josei
Kenkyu (in Japanese) Vol. 25,
At a meeting of a women’s
as well as in KFAW Working
organization in Indonesia
Paper.

In Kitakyushu, women’s organizations carry out various
activities in a wide range of fields, such as welfare, the environment,
economics, and education, thereby supporting the development of
their communities. Of particular note is the anti-pollution
campaign Aozora-ga-hoshii (We Want a Blue Sky), launched in the
1960s by a women’s organization in Tobata ward. This campaign ishighly regarded by the United Nations as a good example ofmobilizing the government and private sector companies to takenecessary actions, resulting in solution of the industrial pollution
problems with the involvement of all related sectors, namely
citizens, government, and business.
To promote a gender equal society, it is important for women’sorganizations to advance their activities, to play an active role indeveloping their communities, and to produce local female leaders
through their activities. In this regard, as a reference for women’sorganizations to promote their activities, the research explored thefactors behind the success of the Aozora-ga-hoshii campaign. The
research also examined activities promoted by women’sorganizations both within and outside Kitakyushu, as well as inIndonesia, and analyzed their roles, challenges, and future
prospects.

KFAW Asian Researchers Network Seminar
Seminar: Acceptance of Foreign Care Workers(KFAW Asian Researchers Network Seminar 2015)

Tiawan and Indonesia, Prof. OGAWA provided the audience
with much food for thought.
Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2015, 18:00 - 20:00
Venue: Small Seminar Room, 5th Floor, Kitakyushu Otemachi
Building
Lecturer: Ms. Reiko OGAWA(Associate Professor, Department of Cultural Studies, Faculty ofSocial and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University)
No. of participants: 29

In this age of globalization, the flow of people, goods, andinformation is becoming more and more active acrossnational borders on a global scale. With this as a background,
Japan’s conclusion of the Economic Partnership Agreement(EPA) with Southeast Asia is leading to the country’s
acceptance of more foreign nurses and care providers. In thefield of elderly nursing care, due to the increase in the aged
population and the decrease in the number of care workers,
it is becoming more difficult to secure excellent humanresources, and therefore, greater expectations are placed on
foreign care workers. At the seminar, Associate Professor
Reiko OGAWA from Kyushu University explained what wasgoing on at facilities that had accepted foreign care workers,
as well as what kind of system would be appropriate to aninternational flow of care workers. In comparing Japan to6

No.76 March 2016

KFAW Study Tour

“Study Tour 2015 in Viet Nam and Cambodia” Conducted
We conducted a study tour to Viet Nam and Cambodia from September 5th to 12th, 2015 to provide opportunities to learn about
gender/poverty issues and international cooperation in these countries. Responding to the invitation we extended to the general public
mainly in Kitakyushu, 16 people took part in the tour. Representing the participants, Ms. Asami SUGIMOTO and Ms. Sae YUMURA,
students at Kyushu International University, report on activities during the tour.
to the highways, theimprovement of public
transportation
infrastructurewillenable the reductionin the number ofmotorcycles,theprimarymodeoftransport
inthecountry, thereby contributing to the solution of the emission
gas issue. Through these measures, Viet Nam is expected toadvance in the right direction in the course of tackling theenvironmental problems.
On the morning of the third day, we paid a courtesy callon Hanoi Women’s Union. It is a public institution whose
mission is to protect women’s rights by advocating thedevelopment of relevant legal systems and providing support
for education, in a bid to improve the living conditions of
women in Hanoi. We observed activities at a job-training
center for women located within the headquarters of theunion. The center offers women trainings for acquiringcosmetic/hairdressing and cooking skills, with which they
can find employment. I was glad to see firsthand the field
where generous assistance was given to women for thefacilitation of their employment. In the afternoon, we visited
the TYM Fund, a microfinance institution, and its recipients.
The TYM Fund was founded by Vietnam Women’s Union, theumbrella organization of Hanoi Women’s Union, to help
implement the government’s poverty alleviation programs. It
provides women mainly in rural areas with unsecured microloans. By encouraging women who use the microfinanceservices to set up repayment plans through weekly meetings,
the institution has proudly achieved a repayment rate of 99%.
It also implements various support programs, such asproviding loans to households that have lost primary
breadwinners, offering free health checkups to impoverishedpeople, and giving access to scholarships to households withschool-age children.
On the morning of the fourth day, we visited JICA (Japan
International Cooperation Agency) Viet Nam Office located in
Hanoi, whose activities were the largest in scale among JICA
offices in the Asian region. We were explained that the
primary feature of JICA’s technical assistance was “teaching
beneficiaries how to fish, instead of just giving them fish”,
metaphorically speaking. This means that JICA’s approach
places importance on human resources development to enablepeople in recipient countries to acquire technical knowledge
and pass on know-how to future generations, instead ofproviding technical assistance just once and end it. We visited
TOTO Viet Nam Co. Ltd. in Hanoi in the afternoon, andobserved the production line of sanitary ware.
The impression I gained while visiting Viet Nam in personis that the country’s urban areas are developing rapidly andDepart from Fukuoka for Hanoi
September 6 (Sun.) Interaction with students at Hai Phong Private University
September 7 (Mon.) Visit to Hai Phong City Hall, volunteer work
September 8 (Tue.) Visit to Hanoi Women’s Union and the TYM Fund
September 9 (Wed.) Visit to JICA Viet Nam Office and TOTO Viet Nam
September 10 (Thu.) 	 Visit to primary schools in Cambodia and JVC Japan
International Volunteer Center) Cambodia
September 11 (Fri.) Visit to Angkor ruins
September 12 (Sat.) Leave Hanoi for Fukuoka

Schedule

September 5 (Sat.)

Report on the study tour in Viet Nam(Ms. Asami SUGIMOTO, Junior, Faculty of International
Studies, Kyushu International University)
For the first four days of the study tour, we engaged in
activities in Viet Nam. With the mercury hitting around
32 °C, it was pretty hot mainly because the country was in the
midst of rainy season in September. Putting the climate
aside, I very much enjoyed pho (noodle soup) and spring rolls,
the two best known Vietnamese dishes, three times during
my stay.
On the first day, we kicked off the tour in Viet Nam withan event to socialize with students at Hai Phong Private
University. We interacted with them by cooking cuisines ofour counterpart countries one another and playing traditional
Vietnamese games. As a representative dish of Kitakyushu,
we taught them how to cook yakiudon (noodle dish), while
they gave us directions for preparing deep fried spring rolls,
the typical Vietnamese cuisine. Then, we had a wonderfultime trying out the country’s traditional bamboo dance andlistening to current popular songs. Despite the limited verbal
communication among us, I felt their strong willingness tonurture our friendship as well as their warm andcompassionate hospitality.
On the morning of the second day, we carried out
volunteer work of cleaning up Do Son Beach in cooperation
with local high school students. In the afternoon, we made acourtesy visit to Hai Phong City Hall representing thecitizens of Kitakyushu, as the two cities had concluded asister city agreement in April 2014. There, an official of the
Department of Foreign Affairs gave us explanations about
the city’s history, industries, culture and others. Currently,
the City of Hai Phong is proceeding with a project to expand
the airport by incorporating international airlines, with aview to facilitating further
economic advancement. In
addition to this, a Japanesecompany is undertaking theconstruction of highways
connecting Hanoi and Hai
Phong. When completed, the
new highways will cut thetravel time between the twocities from two and a half
hours to one hour. In addition

No.76 March 20167

will undergo accelerated westernization in the near future,
whereas there are still many impoverished people who
manage to make ends meet by borrowing money in rural
areas. The greatest benefit I reaped in this study tour ishaving seen with my own eyes the existence of disparities inlifestyle habits and standards of living between the rich andthe poor even within the same country.
Through this tour, I also gained the sense of affinity with
Viet Nam after learning the country received significant
assistance and technical cooperation from Japan.
taking into consideration the actual situation of the field.
In addition to these sites, we visited the ruins of Angkor,a famous World Heritage Site. Elaborate carvings on thewalls of the corridors and temples are very dynamic, leaving
overwhelming impression on viewers regardless of the
distance from them. As the name suggests, the ruins ofAngkor are comprised of multiple temple ruins scattered on
the vast area of land, so the visitors need to travel by bus
even within the site. On top of its vastness, walking in the
hot weather made me exhausted. In contrast, our tour guide
was vigorous and gave us in-depth explanation about thehistory and characteristics of each ruin. I strongly felt theneed to learn from our tour guideʼs example in terms of both
physical strength and extensive knowledge. Although theruins of Angkor are popular sightseeing spots that attract
many foreign tourists, there are many problems concerning
their conservation such as the crumbling stone structures
and the ruins covered with overgrown tree roots. Hearingthat many countries including Japan, France and the UnitedStates have joined the restoration efforts, I came to realizethat international cooperation could be carried out in various
ways. This was also a precious experience for me.
I learned a lot
from the interaction
with the local people,
not to mention theexperiencing of thedifferent cultures andlanguages, which willbeusefulinconsidering the future
outlook of international cooperation. Although I am fully
aware of the importance of classroom learning, observing
with my own eyes what is happening in the world is equallyimportant. I,therefore, have determined to make the most of
the international way of thinking I acquired through thisstudy tour in real life from now on.

Report on the study tour in Cambodia(Ms. Sae YUMURA, Sophomore, Faculty of International
Studies, Kyushu International University)
From September 9th to 11th, we stayed in Cambodia
visiting primary schools, farmers and a food-processing
factory that received assistance from JVC (Japan
International Volunteer Center) Cambodia, and Angkor Wat
and other ruins. Throughout the stay, I spent quality timeand each experience was quite fulfilling.
Kyushu International University is carrying out Book to
Read Project to donate picture books to primary schools in
Cambodia. In this study tour, we visited Thnal Datch
Primary School, a recipient of the book donation, and Ou
Samaky Primary School, a prospective recipient. The
libraries in both schools have only a limited number of books,
and are in need of more. The needs of these two schools,
however, are not exactly the same, due to various factors
such as different frequencies in the use of the libraries
depending on the children’s educational environments andage groups, and the number of books stocked in the libraries.
When we asked them what kinds of books they needed, thepupils at Thnal Datch primary school said they would like tohave books with a lot of illustrations, whereas those at Ou
Samaky said they also needed books with more text. The
valuable lesson I learned from this experience is that weneed to see and talk with recipients of assistance in person to
get a clear picture of their needs, instead of taking a cookiecutter approach.
At the primary schools, we played with the children
introducing Japanese traditional toys such as origami,
kendamas, jump ropes, and rubber band slingshots. Despite
the absence of verbal communication, we enjoyed theinteraction with the children explaining how to play with thetoys using body language. I was deeply impressed by big
smiles on the children’s faces when they played well.
Following that, we visited JVC Cambodia Siem Reap
Office, a Japanese NGO that provides assistance toCambodian children and women living in rural areas. There,
we observed a food processing factory and a kitchen garden,
both of which were supported by JVC. Agricultural land in
Cambodia is in harsh conditions for vegetables to grow as its
soils are poor in nutrient. We tend to assume that any crops
can be cultivated as long as we have land. But this is nottrue. Actually, I was surprised to know that ordinary
vegetables such as carrots and squashes were cultivated only
on large-scale farms with an abundant supply of water andfertilizers. Against this backdrop, JVC provides farmers
with assistance in taking approaches they wish to try, giving
advice on crops and methods well suited for the land. I
realized the key to success in making the activities
sustainable was the implementation of appropriate support,

Opinions and Comments from Participants◦I experienced a world utterly different from Japan, which has
broadened my perspective and knowledge.
◦In this study tour, I got a firsthand look at the actual situation of rapid
growth in Viet Nam. I also realized the country still had a lot of
problems to solve.
◦I found that there were many things I fully understood only by talking
with the local people in person.
◦I had valuable experiences listening to stories and admiring sceneries
in those countries, which was impossible without leaving Japan. The
study tour was very inspiring for me.

8

No.76 March 2016

KFAW Study Tour Debriefing
Date: Sunday, October 11, 2015, 14:00 - 15:30
Venue: Small Seminar Room, 5th Floor, Kitakyushu Municipal
Gender Equality Center MOVE
No. of Participants: 30
We held a debriefing on the KFAW
Study Tour to Vietnam and Cambodia.
From among the tour participants, ten
people gave an outline of the facilities thatthey had visited, and also spoke about
what they had learned through the tour.

University, we cooked Japanese and Vietnamese dishes. The
students actively helped me cook the dishes, and I was surprisedthat the male students in particular cooked with enthusiasm.
- I feel that the gender issues explained at the Hanoi Women’s Union
are found not only in Vietnam, but also in Japan and othercountries. I believe that it is necessary to solve women’s problems
through international cooperation.
- In Cambodia, educational levels and systems vary depending on
the elementary schools. There are also differences in the academic
environment and the number of books stocked in libraries. I feelthat this is why it is important to meet directly with local people
and understand their actual situation before providing support.

Presentation Summary (Excerpts)- At an interaction program with the students of Haiphong Private

Seminar on DV Prevention, and Follow-up Seminar for
Facilitators of Dating DV Preventive Education
Date:

Saturday, September 19, 2015,
10:00-12:00 (First Session), 13:00-16:30 (Second Session)
Venue: Small Seminar Room, 5th Floor, Kitakyushu Otemachi Building

a wide variety of forms of violence found in society. Ms. KURATOMI
concluded her seminar by indicating the importance of these things.

Second Session: Follow-up Seminar for Facilitators

First Session: Seminar on DV Prevention – To Eliminate

of Dating DV Preventive Education

All Forms of Violence against Women and Children

Coordinator: Ms. Fumie KURATOMI(Director, NPO Fukuoka Gender Research Institute)Lecturer: Ms. Izumi MORI(Counseling Staff of NPO Asian Women’s Center)
Lecturer: Ms. Hiromi KAWABUCHI(Director, Counseling Office, Kitakyushu Municipal
Gender Equality Center MOVE)
No. of participants: 24

Lecturer: Ms. Fumie KURATOMI(Director, NPO Fukuoka Gender Research Institute)
No. of Participants: 45
On Saturday, September 19, we
held a seminar on DV prevention with
the invited guest speaker, Ms. Fumie
KURATOMI, Director of the NPO
Fukuoka Gender Research Institute, under the title “To Eliminate
All Forms of Violence against Women and Children.”
Ms. KURATOMI stated that DV was a problem regarding not
human relationships, but human rights, and that DV was a problem
regarding the social structure, which could not be solved throughpersonal efforts. She also indicated that some people felt that victims
should also be blamed, and felt that perpetrators used violence
because they were abnormal. She insisted that these ideas expressedpeople’s mentality that they just would like to feel secure fromviolence. According to her, there is a concern that this mentality will
eventually multiply the damage caused by violence.
To prevent creating a DV victim, it is critical for a person to do thefollowings in their daily life and local community: 1) to realize theprejudice that they have; 2) to release themselves from gender-related
restrictions; 3) to form mutually respectful relationships withpartners on an equal footing; and 4) to become even more sensitive to

In the second session, we held afollow-up seminar for facilitators ofdating DV preventive education. Ms.
Izumi MORI, a counseling staff memberof the NPO Asian Women’s Center, and Ms. Hiromi KAWABUCHI,
Director of the Counseling Office of the Kitakyushu Municipal
Gender Equality Center MOVE, delivered lectures based on thetheme “Actual Situation of Counseling for Victims,” referring toactual cases.
In the latter half of the second session, all the participants inthe seminar, including members of the Dating DV Prevention
Fukuoka (Ripple Fukuoka) and the DV Prevention Kitakyushu
Maple Leaf, engaged in a group discussion. Referring to textbooks
used for dating DV preventive education, they discussed thepossibility of better descriptions in the textbooks, based on what
they had learned in the first half of the second session.

Daejeon Women’s Association United in DaejeonGwangyeoksi, South Korea visited MOVE
On August 21, 2015, a group of nine observers headed by Ms. Chae Gyesoon, Director of Daejeon
Women’s Association United, visited the Kitakyushu Municipal Gender Equality Center (MOVE) as
part of a project by Daejeon International Center in Daejeon-Gwangyeoksi, South Korea.
Daejeon Women’s Association United, comprised of seven women’s groups in Daejeon-Gwangyeoksi, made a visit to ourorganization as they have a keen interest in the City of Kitakyushu’s efforts to promote gender equality.
After giving an overview of MOVE and its main undertakings, we had a very fruitful interaction through a lively exchangeof opinions about activities by the women’s groups in Daejeon-Gwangyeoksi, among other things.

No.76 March 20169

Foreign Correspondents’ Report
Profile“Mothers’ Group”, light of hope for rural
women in Nepal

I have MBA degree with key subjects of management
and marketing. Previously I worked as a coordinator atAmbe Murari Sewa Kendra (AMSK), a non-profit
organization and was in charge of coordinating,managing and reporting activities for donors. I also act
as a resource person for yoga training at various clubs
and organizations and help schools develop yoga
curriculum for primary and secondary school kids.

Ms. Yojana POKHAREL (Nepal)
Sita Thapa, 18, shared her bitter experience about her
alcoholic uncle when she had been in Lahachok VDC of Kaski
district. He grabbed all the hard earned money by his wife
who worked in the field with wages normally 25% less thanthose paid to men. He became incredibly irresponsible andwild once he was drunk. His small kids were forced to spend
their nights with empty stomach.
But I noticed hope and relief in Sita’s voice when
she shared about Mothers’ Group (MG), a non-political groupformed by Gurung Women, who played a significant role on
women’s empowerment and mobilization at grassroots. The
women here are taking small yet crucial steps to make theirsociety a better place to live in. The social group has
been named “Aama Samuha” that is the group of mothers.
Mothers’ Group has become a popular women’sorganization all over the country for women’s development. In
remote areas Mothers’ Group (MG) are raising the voice
against excessive sales of alcohol and are successful
in declaring some of the districts as dry zone for alcohol.
Women are rated as a weaker sex. In case of rural
Nepalese women, their standing in society mostly depends ontheir husbands’ and parents’ social and economic positions.
They have limited access to education, health care, markets,
productive services, and local government and suffer frommalnutrition, poverty.
Major contributions of Mothers’ Group in the community
development (1994 in Okanmura, 1999) in Syangja district are
as follows: construction and repairing of village trails
and road, construction of Buddhist monasteries and temple,
construction of toilets, plantation of trees, assisting in theconstruction of a school building and furniture, managing
literary classes, collection of common utensils, stopping
alcoholism and gambling, and establishment of child care
centre.
From the year 1988/89, Mothers’ Group got wide
popularity after receiving a training to prepare womencommunity health volunteers known as Female Community
Health Volunteers (FVHVs) conducted by the Department of
Public Health.
Currently there are nearly 50,000 FCHVs who cover all
75 districts of Nepal and 97% are working in rural areas.
They receive no salary, only a token incentive of about $40 per
year, a bicycle and a sign that declared they are FCHVs. Since
1995, these dedicated women have visited every homein community twice a year to give doses of Vitamin A tobreastfeeding women and children up to age 5. They alsocollect data on each household, and provide de worming
pills, immunizations, family planning materials andinformation on sanitations, nutrition and infant care.
The program now reveals 94% of children between six
months and five years of age, whose mortality rate has

dropped from 94 per 10,000 to 52. At least 12,000 lives
have been saved.
Mother’s Group has contributed a lot to women’s healthin Lahachok. Women’s awareness on health has improved
drastically in sanitation, hygiene and treatment. They areconvinced that the education brings about a lot of change inthe society. As a result, they have started sending theirchildren to school without discrimination between boys andgirls while selecting the schools.
Similarly, Mothers’ Group played a vital role for developing
awareness of income generating activities, economic influenceon health, mental health, traditional ideology and caste as
restriction against girls and the issue of dowry.
The rural women of Nepal are challenged with poverty
and lack of basic facilities. They have a lot in their basket,
such as looking after the house, family and also in the field.
Besides their hectic schedule they managed to invest time in
MG. It has been found that the Mother’s Group has beensuccessful in making women’s life easier to some extent.
No matter how many the obstacles were against thevillagers, they are coming up with hopeful ways to fightagainst the poverty and illiteracy. Mother’s Group is one ofsuch groups initiated by the women who to some extent, havebeen successful in becoming a light of hope for the villagers.

Members of Mothers’ Group attending awareness training on
women’s health related issues.

10

No.76 March 2016

ISSN
ISSN
0918-82660918-8266Foreign Correspondent’s Report

ISSN 0918-8266
ProfileTV Says You’re Ugly: The Problem with theMedia’s Unnecessary Beauty Standards in
the Philippines

I am half-Filipino and half-Japanese, and was born and raised here in thePhilippines. I graduated from Miriam College with a degree in International Studies
with a major in development studies, a minor in gender studies in 2014, andauthored an undergraduate thesis titled “His Side of the Story: Storylines, Speechacts, and Positions of Husbands Who Have Experienced Spousal Abuse” with Ms.
Arisa Junio. I previously worked for the Philippine Air Force as a researcher from
June to December 2014. I am now an Outreach and Innovations Coordinator at
Youth at Venture, an NGO that helps young Filipinos start business ventures.

Ms. Aiko SHIMIZU (The Philippines)

Most people, especially girls, grow up having insecurities
about their bodies. For a lot of them, these insecurities
remain even when they become fully grown women.
According to DoSomething.org, a non-profit organization
for young people and social change, approximately 91% of
women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dietingto achieve their ideal body shape. Yet body shape is just one
aspect that women are concerned about. There are also
issues on the facial structure, nose, eyes, and skin color.
There might not be auniversal idea of beauty
for all countries. It’s
hard to have one because
we all have different
physical features basedonourethnicities.
Nevertheless,despiteculturalandethnicdiversity across theglobe and even in
America, Hollywood has
set impossible beauty standards for every woman of any
race. For Hollywood a perfect woman is slim and tall with
big round eyes and straight nose, and is most definitely
white. Of course these standards are impossible to achieve,
especially when you are a woman of color.
Since the Philippines was once a colony of Spain andafterwards America—some would argue that it is still under
the lingering influences of the US—it somehow has thesame standards of beauty.
The evidence of colonial mentality in the country can beseen in TV shows, infomercials, and magazines nationwide.
There are numerous skin whitening products offered toFilipinas promising that they will look like the celebrities
they aspire to be. If that is not enough, just a look at the

Location
Locationof of
Kitakyushu
Kitakyushu

E-mail:E-mail:kfaw@kfaw.or.jp
kfaw@kfaw.or.jp
URL:URL:
http://www.kfaw.or.jp/index.html.en
http://www.kfaw.or.jp/index.html.en

Beijing
Beijing
Locationof Seoul
Seoul
Tokyo
Tokyo
KITAKYUSHU OTEMACHI BUILDING 3F
Kitakyushu
Kitakyushu
Kitakyushu

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

Beijing

Philippine showbiz industry would make you think we arein a western country because of all the half-white women
dominating it.
If there are celebrities with darker skin tones, that we
locally call “morena,” they usually still have straight noses.
That is why there have been needs of celebrities or noncelebrities to undergo cosmetic surgeries just to become
conventionally good looking.
What is more aggravating is the Philippine media’s
insistence that having a dark skin, a flat and big nose or
curly hair means you are “ugly.” One example is the TV
drama “Bakekang” which aired on GMA 7 in 2006 and wasbased on a comic novel written by Carlo J. Caparas. In thestory, Bakekang, the female protagonist, has been scorned
all her life because of her physical appearance. She has darkskin, a big nose, and ugly teeth. At the start of the show hergoal was to be impregnated by a white man only to have a“beautiful” white-looking daughter. I could say that eventhough this show was aired almost a decade ago, its ideas
are still present in today’s Philippine society.
I believe that it is time the media changed its female
champions. An actors like Eugene Domingo, who played thelead in films such as the Woman in the Septic Tank (AngBabae Sa Septic Tank) and Kimmy Dora and through whose
pure talent became widely known in the country, should be
the type of women the Filipino audience looks up to. She
does not have a straight nose, a slim body, or Caucasian-likeskin, but she has won numerous awards and gainedinternational recognition because of her excellence inperforming arts.
This way, I hope women in the Philippines and all over
the world will realize that their worth does not come fromhow white, how slim or how conventionally good looking they
are but through their own beauty that will shine just by
being who they are.

KITAKYUSHUKITAKYUSHUOTEMACHIOTEMACHIBUILDING
BUILDING
3F 3F
OTEMACHIOTEMACHI
11-4,11-4,
KOKURAKITA,
KOKURAKITA,KITAKYUSHU,KITAKYUSHU,
803-0814
803-0814
JAPAN
JAPAN
FAX＋81-93-583-5195
FAX＋81-93-583-5195
PHONE＋81-93-583-3434
PHONE＋81-93-583-3434

DalianDalianKFAW

ISSN 0918-8266

Seoul

Tokyo

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