JAPAN and the WORLD Magazine JANUARY ISSUE 2016 #Issue 14 | Page 12

RUI MATSUKAWA
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Last year’s topics were “Girls and Education”,
“Peacebuilding and Women”, and “Multi-
Stakeholder Partnerships for International
Cooperation”.
You are a very active woman who
tries to maintain a work-life balance.
How has your own experience helped
you in preparing WAW!?
I’m one of those working mothers trying to
strike a balance between work and life. All
the challenges faced by women around the
world, and especially by girls, who cannot
go to school, or who are forced to marry
when they are young, give them no economic
independence when they grow up. Work isn’t
just making money, but is a way of feeling
a pride in demonstrating our abilities, and
contributing to society. I hope that my own
daughters will grow up to be independent
women, active in society.
As a working mother, I need to go to work
even when I want to stay with my children.
I wish to have more flexibility in work.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could have more
choices in way of working? However, there
aren’t many choices in reality.
In Japan there are the two challenges of long
working hours and roles division between
men and women. Women still bear the
burden of double work (work and child-
rearing/housework). About 60% of women
retire when they become pregnant with their
first child. Although we can see progress
compared to the past, women are still in an
inferior position to men in terms of choice of
profession, promotion and decision-making
in the workplace. This awareness of the issues
in daily life helped me to come up with last
year’s WAW! agenda.
We also set up a photo booth for participants
to place their messages about a “Society where
Women Shine”. We believe that these kind of
initiatives directed to the general public will
speed up women’s empowerment.
What was the main outcome from this
year’s WAW! and how do you rate it?
The outcome document of WAW!, which is
designated as a United Nations document,
“WAW! To Do” is not a commitment
between countries, but is a collection of
specific proposals based on the suggestions
and ideas of participants. It is hoped that
these proposals will come into effect
around the world. In Japan, the follow-up
documents for WAW! 2014 were created
to summarize the efforts of the Japanese
government and handed out at WAW! 2015.
We intend to improve and expand a follow-
up system for the next WAW!
the audience, to communicate and exchange
their experiences.
If you have an opportunity to speak
out to all women in this world, what
would be your message?
Women are great at “bringing people
together”. Women find it incredibly easy
to create networks, which extend beyond
generation, sector, and place. Women have
a built-in instinct to think about others.
The world can be a better place as women
challenge themselves in various areas with
bravery. So Ladies, lets unite and change the
world together.
As an international Japanese
woman do you have some advice to
other Japanese women who wish to
follow your path?
More than anything else,
WAW! has brought together
leaders in the field of women’s
issues from Japan and
overseas. At this year’s WAW!,
we want to focus on creating
international networks. Women have a lot of potential that only needs
to be released. Shikibu Murasaki (a woman),
for example, wrote the world’s earliest
recorded novel, a few hundred years before
Shakespeare.
More than anything else, WAW! has brought
together leaders in the field of women’s
issues from Japan and overseas. At this
year’s WAW!, we want to focus on creating
international networks, by providing
opportunities for participants, including A “Society where Women Shine” is not just for
women, but for everyone. This “society where
women shine” uses “women” as the launching
pad for creating a diverse and innovative
social environment where everyone can
participate. So let’s all go for it!
Japan is a mature society: not everyone
thinks the same way, nor wants the same
thing. Everyone has different dreams. So if
you work very hard, you’ll probably make
them come true.
What is the WAW! movement and how
has it helped in seeing progress on
women’s issues in Japan?
In order to create a larger
WAW! movement, we have
established “Shine Weeks” as
side events that support the
spirit of WAW! activities.
In order to create a larger WAW! movement,
we have established “Shine Weeks” as side
events that support the spirit of WAW!
activities. Last year, the number of registered
events doubled to 240 (120 in 2014). In
addition to seminars and study sessions,
there were also film festivals about women
and concerts by female musicians among
other events. Last year, we cooperated
with Google Inc. and Eigyobu Joshika to
establish an official WAW! YouTube channel
(www.youtube.com/c/waw).
11 // JANUARY 2016
WAW! Public Forum Opening Speech by Prime Minister Abe.
JAPAN AND THE WORLD MAGAZINE