Lecture and panel discussion on women’s political participation
（Friday, September 6, 2019）

Although the largest number of women won seats in Japan’s Upper House election in July 2019, the number of female politicians remains small. In March 2019, the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s survey revealed that the percentage of women in the Japanese Lower House was 10.2%, ranking 165th among 193 countries. This result became the subject of debates, as the percentage of female politicians has been rising in many other countries. Japan is a country where the voice of women, which accounts for half of the population, has not been heard in politics. How can diverse leadership be achieved and how can more people make their voices heard?

In response to this situation, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation will organize a panel discussion with Zuraida Kamaruddin, the Minister of Housing and Local Government in Malaysia, who has worked to increase the presence and visibility of female political leaders in Malaysia, where Islam is the national religion. Ms. Zuraida has been active in various fields as a key cabinet minister under the Mahathir administration and as a senior official of the People’s Justice Party, a ruling party in Malaysian politics. She has also served as Malaysia’s representative to the Women Political Leaders, a network formed by female political leaders in the world.

The lecture and panel discussion will focus on the challenges that women face before and after becoming a politician and discuss how they have overcome these difficulties. Based on the discussion, Ms. Zuraida and the panelists will present their views on the way forward for getting more women elected to office. We look forward to welcoming all of you at the event.