Pedestrians cross a road in Tokyo, Japan.<\/p>\n
Noriko Hayashi\/Bloomberg<\/p>\n
Sometimes, it\u2019s the pressing election issues that no one is talking about that matter most. Especially when the omission is by design \u2014 like the role of women in Japan\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m as bummed as anyone to have to point this out 12-plus years on since the Liberal Democratic Party<\/a> returned to power pledging to prioritize gender equality. What was it that then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promised to do for half of Japan\u2019s population? Make them \u201cshine.\u201d<\/p>\n In December 2012, the late Abe propelled the LDP back to power with a bold-sounding revival plan. Never mind that it was merely a list of things Japan should\u2019ve done years earlier. It\u2019s better to be late to cut bureaucracy, modernize labor markets, increase productivity and reanimate Japan\u2019s innovative animal spirits <\/a>than never to act.<\/p>\n A key strategy to achieve those last two goals was empowering women. All available research shows that nations and companies that best utilize their female workforces are the most vibrant, efficient and prosperous. Any report from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank or investment banks like Goldman Sachs will attest to that.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no coincidence that the LDP called their plan \u201cwomenomics.\u201d The word is believed to have been coined by then-Goldman Sachs economist Kathy Matsui, whose gender research made her a local celebrity. Abe cited her work when he pledged to increase the role of women in business and politics.<\/p>\n Sadly, though, such talk ended up being a shiny object.<\/p>\n In 2012, Japan ranked 101st<\/a> in the World Economic Forum’s gender equality index. Today, it\u2019s 118th out of 148 countries, a 17-place backslide. And Sunday\u2019s election offers its own metric on the dimming hopes for gender parity in the third-biggest economy.<\/p>\n In upper house elections, women make up fewer than 30% of candidates. As Jiji Press reported earlier this month, of the 522 people who initially filed candidacies, just 152 were women, or 29.1%. This is shy of the LDP\u2019s 35% target for female lawmakers.<\/p>\n In fact, in terms of women holding political office, Japan trails Saudi Arabia<\/a> by 17 places, according to the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union.<\/p>\n Why is Japan failing to make such an obvious fix to its underperforming economy? After all, Goldman Sachs has long argued, Japan\u2019s gross domestic product would increase by as much as 15% if the female labor participation matched that of men.<\/p>\n One reason for the foot-dragging is that the power with Japan\u2019s patriarchy is strong. Economic history knows few examples of those with power giving it up willingly. Typically, change is demanded by the masses in ways the ruling class can\u2019t ignore. And virtually no one thinks the LDP, which has led Japan with only two brief interruptions since 1955, is going to lose all power on Sunday.<\/p>\n Another problem is that Tokyo establishment is much better at treating the symptoms of a problem than addressing it. Abe was far from the first modern leader to latch onto gender disparities as an election issue. Back in the early 2000s, then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi also made a play for fielding more female candidates.<\/p>\n