This paper investigates the reasons why the Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has vigorously promoted policies for women’s advancement since the launch of his second administration in 2012.
Abe had been considered as one of the hawkish politicians in such issues as the amendment of the Constitution, national security, and gender equality. However, contrary to the prediction and unease by some feminists, his cabinet loudly announced policies for the advancement of women in society, and has been committed to the promotion of those policies.
This paper tries to answer the following questions. (1) Where does the idea of women’s advancement policies come from? (2) What are the political motivations behind the “gender turn” of his cabinet? (3) What does the change mean to the Japan’s gendered political economic regime? To answer these questions, it focuses on the impact of the intra- and inter-competition of political parties in contemporary Japan.
