Q-marks on Abe's female ministers helping in womenomics

Since Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office and launched his cabinet in December 2012, his lineup has remained unchanged for about 20 months, creating a record for a postwar prime minister.

However, the focal point of Wednesday's reshuffle will be, in part, not so much on the longevity of his cabinet, but rather the inclusion or not of more female ministers.

Stateswomen are certainly not unfamiliar in the world of modern politics, such as the late former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

But for Japan, the world's third largest economy that ranks however among the lowest for gender inequality, female politicians indeed draw the spotlight here as they, for Abe and his womenomics ideology, have a more symbolic meaning.

Abe's current 18-member cabinet comprises two female ministers, namely Masako Mori, who takes charge of consumer affairs and measures for Japan's declining birthrate and Tomomi Inada, state minister for administrative reform, but the ratio is far lower than the 30 percent level that Abe has committed to ensuring that women in senior leadership posts fill by 2020.

As a model for Japan's future business demographic, which includes a far larger female labor force, the prime minister has to make his cabinet a test camp, of sorts, so as to walk the talk on his "womenomics" agenda, a part of the premier's growth strategy aimed at revitalizing Japan's prolonged sluggish economy.

According to local reports, among potential nominees to be enrolled in the new lineup, Yuko Obuchi, 40, a former minister in charge of the declining birthrate and daughter of the late former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, is likely to have a ministerial post or one of the three key posts in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Eriko Yamatani, an LDP House of Councillors member, may take the post of state minister in charge of abduction issue, while Sanae Takaichi, who heads the LDP's policy research council, may be named as trade minister, according to Japan's Jiji Press and the Yomiuri Shimbun.

Obuchi, who became Japan's youngest postwar minister in 2008, was quoted as saying recently that, "women have not taken the finance, economy and industry roles so far," and if they "were placed in those positions, it would send a message."

Her message much echoes Abe's intention to boost Japan's female labor force as if working women were mobilized in the country, according to economists, despite the low-birthrate and ageing society, some eight million workers could be added to the labor force, and they could help boost Japan's gross domestic product by 15 percent.

The ambitious prime minister has also maintained that encouraging women to participate in the workforce is not an option but a priority and his economic policy dubbed "Abenomics" can not succeed without its female component.

Whether or not more female cabinet ministers could play a role in calling for Japanese women to leave their houses for offices, needs more time to be proved, but the priority is, however, the question of whether female politicians can tangibly change the working environment for Japanese women who only account for 63 percent of Japan's labor force, compared to 85 percent of males.

Recent sexist heckling to Japanese female lawmakers in a plenary session exposed that male chauvinism is deeply-rooted in Japanese society and affects women at all levels of employment, regardless of position, status, or lack thereof.

"I understand Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's intentions, but the fact of the matter is that even in the nation's capital, it is difficult for women to work. There is a lack of infrastructure and support for working women and this affects their motivation," Ayaka Shiomura, a 35-year-old Your Party assemblywoman told a news conference in Tokyo in June after being a victim of sexist heckling.

"The latest policies might be a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done," the young lawmaker said.

It is still unknown whether enlisting more female politicians could be an immediate antidote for increasing the size of the female labor force, but the effects of appointments of Yamatani and Takaichi, if realized, could come out quickly, raising concerns from Japan's neighboring countries, ties with which remained strained over territorial issues and Japan's misperception of history.

Takaichi, a conservative LDP official, seen as an asset by Abe, is among a group of Japanese lawmakers who spare no efforts to promote visits to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine, at which 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II are honored.

Besides paying homage at the war-linked shrine, Takaichi also publicly called for a new statement next year to replace the landmark "Kono Statement" on comfort women, Japan's official apology to those women who were forced by the Japanese Imperial Army in wartime to provide sex to Japanese soldiers in brothels.

Takaichi said the new statement should "dispel false information" that "undermines Japan's honor."

Both the Yasukuni and comfort women issues deeply hurt the feelings of Japan's neighboring countries that suffered its wartime aggression, as both issues are considered as a touchstone for Japan's reflection toward its own wartime history and any effort trying to whitewash its wrongdoing draws fierce criticism from victim countries, especially South Korea and China.

Yamatani maintains a tough stance over the territorial dispute between Japan and China and she, along with other conservative lawmakers, including the current Internal Affairs Minister Yoshitaka Shindo, had planned to land on the disputed Diaoyu islands in 2012.

Japan, right now, is not only at odds with China over the territorial dispute, but also trades verbal blows with South Korea and Russia over territorial disputes and Japan is seemingly showing its stance over the issues by beefing up its military might.

Analysts and reports have said if such appointments were approved, concerns may rise quickly, particularly during the autumn festival at Yasukuni Shrine, and would make Japan's neighbors worried about that Abe's administration may lean even further to the right with a more conservative cabinet lineup.

As to other cabinet post changes, the fate of the LDP's Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba was highlighted as the LDP No. 2 figure will be the strongest rival to the party's president, Abe, in the next party leadership race.

Ishiba has turned down Abe's offer to become his security legislation minister, a post to be newly created in Wednesday's reshuffle, but has accepted joining the new lineup, so as to avoid a factional conflict within the ruling party.

For Abe, enlisting Ishiba in the new lineup could weaken his future potential competitor by choosing a new face to become the influential LDP's secretary-general.

Abe plans to appoint former Senior Vice Defense Minister Akinori Eto as defense minister to Itsunori Onodera and let Eto serve as security legislation minister.

Finance Minister Taro Aso, who doubles as vice prime minister, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, Transport Minister Akihiro Ota and TPP-related Minister Akira Amari are likely to remain in their posts, according to local media reports.

According to the reports, Abe will announce his new LDP executive lineup on Wednesday morning, as he has decided to appoint Toshihiro Nikai, chair of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, as chairman of the LDP General Council, and administrative minister Inada as chairwoman of the LDP Policy Research Council. Masahiko Komura, for his part, will remain as LDP's vice president, sources close to the matter have said.

The new cabinet lineup will be revealed later Wednesday.