Japan’s population crisis fuelled by ‘indifference and ignorance’ of male lawmakers

Japan’s minister for gender equality and children’s issues, Seiko Noda, said that the country’s male-dominated parliament has treated its dramatic population decline with ​​“indifference and ignorance”.

Noda warned Japan faces an existential crisis that many politicians are reluctant to address head-on. Japan has one of the worst gender gaps in the world, thanks to a culture that often forces women to choose between children and career. As a result, one in four women say they have no interest in marriage, citing concerns that they alone will be tasked with raising a family.