JFBA/8/15 March 19, 2015 Japan Federation of Bar Associations Report by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations on the “Seventh and eighth periodic reports of States parties due in 2014, Japan” Proposed questions and their background information that should be included in the List of Issues to be Prepared by the Pre-Sessional Working Group March 19, 2015 Japan Federation of Bar Associations ＜Table of Contents＞ Chapter1 General Remarks (summary of past and present discrimination against women) .................................................................................................................................. 3 Section 1 Situation since the Ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women ............................................................................... 3 Section 2 Overview of the Policies under the Abe Government established in 2012 ....... 4 Section 3 General Problems of the “Women’s Active Participation” ................................ 4 Section 4 Specific Issues on Matters Included in the General Remarks ........................... 6 Chapter2 Individual Articles and Other Matters ................................................................. 7 Article 1 Definition of Discrimination against Women ............................................................. 7 Section 1 Definition of Discrimination against Women .................................................... 7 Article2 Legislative and Other Measures for Policies to Eliminate Discrimination .................. 9 Section 1 The Status of the Convention ............................................................................. 9 Section 2 Minority Women .............................................................................................. 11 Section 3 Sexual Minority Women .................................................................................. 13 Section 4 Training for he Members of the Judiciary and other Legal Professionals ....... 14 Section 5 Responses to Disaster and Reconstruction ...................................................... 15 Section 6 Others ............................................................................................................... 22 Article3 Ensuring the Development and Advancement of Women.......................................... 25 Section 1 Measures for Foreign Women .......................................................................... 25 Section 2 Measures for Women with Disabilities ............................................................ 31 Section 3 Measures for Elderly Women .......................................................................... 34 Article 4 Special Measures ....................................................................................................... 37 Section 1 Special Measures ............................................................................................. 37 Article 5 Elimination of Prejudice and Customs, Etc. ............................................................. 42 Section 1 Elimination of Prejudice and Customs, Etc. .................................................... 42 Article 6 Prohibition of Trafficking in Women ........................................................................ 46 Section 1 Efforts against trafficking in persons ............................................................... 46 Section 2 More Detailed Information on the Sex Industry in Japan ................................ 50 Section 3 Domestic Violence ........................................................................................... 57 Section 4 Issues of “Comfort Women” for the Japanese Army ....................................... 69 Article 7 Elimination of Discrimination in Political and Public Activities .............................. 75 Section 1 Elimination of Discrimination in Political and Public Activities .................... 75 Article 8 Participation in International Activities under Gender Equality Conditions ............ 77 Section 1 Participation in International Activities under Gender Equality Conditions ... 77 1 Article 9 Gender Equality Regarding Nationality .................................................................... 80 Section 1 Gender Equality Regarding Nationality .......................................................... 80 Article 10 Elimination of Discrimination in the Field of Education ........................................ 82 Section 1 Elimination of discriminatory references in textbooks .................................... 82 Section 2 Reinstatement and reinforcement of references to “comfort women” for the Japanese military in textbooks ............................................................................................. 85 Section 3 Elimination of Discrimination against Women in the Field of Education ....... 87 Section 4 Education for women with disabilities ............................................................ 89 Article 11 Elimination of Discrimination in the Field of Employment ................................... 90 Section 1 Promotion of measures for ensuring the Equal Employment Opportunity Act for Men and Women ............................................................................................................. 90 Section 2 Development of Employment Conditions for the Diversifying Forms of Employment ......................................................................................................................... 96 Section 3 Equal Remuneration in Respect of Work of Equal Value .............................. 101 Section 4 Provision of support for achieving work-life balance of men and women .... 103 Article 12: Elimination of Discrimination in the Field of Health .......................................... 108 Section 1 Removal of punitive provisions imposed on women who undergo artificial abortions and promotion of access to abortion services ..................................................... 108 Section 2 Promotion of sex education ........................................................................... 111 Section 3 Ensuring sexual reproductive health .............................................................. 113 Section 4 Psychological and mental health of women .................................................. 114 Article 13 Elimination of Discrimination in Other Economical and Social Fields ................ 115 Section 1 Elimination of discrimination in other economical and social fields ............ 115 Article 14: Gender Equality for Rural Women ...................................................................... 118 Section 1 Women’s participation in political and public activities ................................ 118 Section 2 Improvement of economic status of women engaged in agriculture, forestry and fisheries industry ......................................................................................................... 118 Article16: Elimination of Discrimination in Marriage and Family Life ................................ 119 Section 1 Discrimination in marriage ............................................................................ 119 Section 2 Divorce Benefit --- fair distribution of property, decision on an appropriate amount of expenses of child-rearing and securing the payment ........................................ 121 Section 3 Discrimination based on status of marriage ................................................... 124 Others .............................................................................................................................. 130 Section 1 Damage of military bases (violence against women by foreign soldiers) ..... 130 2 Chapter1 General Remarks (summary of past and present discrimination against women) Section 1 Situation since the Ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 1. After the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against women in 1985, the idea of equal participation of men and women (although in a much narrower concept than “elimination of discrimination against women in all areas”) has been playing a certain role in policy with the adoption of the Basic Act for Gender Equality (The government uses the term ”Gender Equality” in English document in the sence of equal participation of men and women,although there is much difference between them, as described in “Basic Act for Gender Equal Society”, http://www.gender.go.jp/english_contents/about_danjo/lbp/laws/pdf/laws_01.pdf . However, we use the term ”Gender Equality” as a word which means only “equal participation of men and women” in this report hereinafter, in accordance with the governmetal translation. ) in 1999, the establishment ofa Gender Equality Burau1 in the Cabinet Office and the formulation of Basic Plans for Gender Equal Society , among others. On the other hand, however, the policies on gender equality as well as the recent policies to “utilize” women have inherent limitations. The achievement of elimination of discrimination against women is being hampered by the worsening situation of women as a result of general neo-liberal policies, the low priority given to gender equality in the policy agendas, and the statements by government and Diet members sympathizing with deep-rooted ignorance towards elimination of discrimination against women held by some parts of the general public, as well as the government’s attitude of doing nothing about such