Japan election's female winners ratio hits record 28%

Focus turns to next steps as gender parity remains distant goal

20220712 From left Akiko Ikuina, Eri Mikami and Akemi Matsuno

From left, Akiko Ikuina, Eri Mikami and Akemi Matsuno were among the successful female candidates in the upper house election. (Source photos by Kento Awashima and Kyodo)

SAYUMI TAKE, Nikkei staff writer

July 12, 2022 16:24 JST

TOKYO -- Japan's upper house election ended with a record ratio of female winners, at 28% -- a result experts see as heartening as well as proof that there are battles left to fight on the road to gender equality.

Of the 125 contested seats, 35 were won by women. This topped the previous record of 28 in both of the last two upper house elections in 2016 and 2019. The ratio of female winners was up by about 5 percentage points from 2019.