Japanese politician in sexism row after call for women to have more babies

[unhappycamper]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/30/japanese-politician-yoshihide-suga-in-sexism-row-after-call-for-women-to-have-more-babies

Yoshihide Suga, the government’s top spokesman, denies he was harking back to the wartime era by associating reproduction with national wellbeing

Japanese politician in sexism row after call for women to have more babies
Justin McCurry in Tokyo
Wednesday 30 September 2015 07.43 EDT

The Japanese government’s top spokesman has rebutted charges of sexism after he called on women to contribute to their country’s wellbeing by having more babies.

The remarks by Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary and a close ally of the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, drew accusations that he was encouraging a return to the wartime era, when political leaders encouraged women to reproduce to support the country’s militarist ambitions.

Commenting on the recent celebrity marriage between the singer Masaharu Fukuyama and the actor Kazue Fukiishi, Suga said: “With their marriage, I am hoping that mothers will contribute to their country by feeling like they want to have more children. Please have many children.”

~snip~

Japan performs poorly in international gender equality comparisons. In the World Economic Forum’s 2014 gender gap index, it ranked 104th out of 142 countries. At 64%, Japan’s female participation rate in the labour force, compared with 84% for men, is one of the lowest among the 34 leading economies that make up the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

[MisterP]

1. it's "natalism"--the whole "nationhood springs from between a woman's legs" thing

in the 20s the French population dropped after WWI so Paris panicked and basically made midwifery and abortion treason; Sauvy coined the term "Third World"--and said that its real problem was not enough people: the consequences have been quite apparent; it's still a doctrine spread by Lappe and Amartya Sen

and of course, they're reeking hypocrites: http://www.democraticunderground.com/113312343