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In Japan the concept of yamato nadeshiko describes the classic ideal of Japanese women: a beautiful but modest female, dedicated to the wellbeing of her family and husband. She is assertive and smart, yet obedient, dependent, and bound to the domestic sphere. Only now she also needs to be a femtech entrepreneur.

A gender revolution is long overdue. In a gender gap survey carried out by the World Economic Forum in 2021, Japan ranked 120th out of 156 nations. There was the Tokyo 2020 official who floated the idea of an "Olympig" creative campaign with plus-sized model Naomi Watanabe. Olympic chief Yoshiro Mori had to step down following his claim that meetings attended by 鈥渢alkative women鈥� tended to 鈥渄rag on鈥�. There was the Japanese governor who recommended men go grocery shopping during the pandemic because women take too long and the Japanese city manager who told new employees to "play around" to remedy the country's plunging birth rate.

Women also face challenges in their love and social lives. Sexuality in Japan is more often than not presented through the male gaze. Incidents of stalking, indecencies, or everyday sexism are comparably common in Japan, and victims often shy away from reporting sexual harassment.

But times are changing. In recent years, campaigns such as #MeToo and #KuToo, which saw women petition against wearing high heels to work, have put Japan's gender inequality in the spotlight. Akiko Toya explores the change that is being created in Japan by women forging new partnerships in femtech, politics, sport and media.

(Photo: Keiko, a Noh mask carver. Credit: Nick Luscombe)