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On July 1, 2020, the Prime Minister held the ninth meeting of the Headquarters for Creating a Society in which All Women Shine, at the Prime Minister’s Office.

At the meeting, the participants held discussions on the Intensive Policy to Accelerate the Empowerment of Women 2020 and the status of the implementation of the Act on the Promotion of Female Participation and Advancement in the Workplace.

Following the discussions, the Prime Minister said,

“Today, we decided on the Intensive Policy to Accelerate the Empowerment of Women 2020.

Holding the flag high for the active participation of women since its inauguration, the Abe Cabinet has worked to prepare childcare arrangements, expand the system for taking childcare leave, and reform corporate governance, among other initiatives. The result of these efforts has been more than 3.3 million women newly joining the workforce over the past seven years, eliminating the M-shaped curve. The growth in the participation rate of women during this period is the highest among the G7 countries. The number of female board members and executives in listed companies has also increased to more than triple the previous figure. To provide further momentum, we recently amended the Act on the Promotion of Female Participation and Advancement in the Workplace, and expanded the scope of companies obliged to formulate action plans on promoting women and other issues. In addition to providing the necessary assistance to small- and medium-sized enterprises, we will also promote the taking of time off or leave by men for childcare. Moving forward, we will further expand the circle of active participation by women through such efforts.

As the recent novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused tremendous impacts on the economy and society, we are now taking measures that include expanding the Employment Adjustment Subsidies, and providing assistance to single-parent families. Furthermore, we will also provide firm support to women in difficult circumstances, including through considering a legal amendment aimed at ensuring that obligations to bear education and child-support expenses are fulfilled. In addition, to address concerns over the increasing incidence and severity of domestic violence (DV), we are reinforcing our systems for consultations by phone, e-mail, social networking services (SNS), and other channels. Paying close attention to the feelings of the victims, we will also take measures that include assistance for private-sector shelters.

This Intensive Policy we just finalized incorporates provisions to strengthen countermeasures against sex-related crimes and sexual violence in an intensive manner over the next three years. In addition to examining further responses in terms of the Penal Code and other rules, we will advance measures such as increasing the number of centers providing assistance to victims, establishing call centers operating at night and on holidays, and advancing SNS-based consultations, which are easily accessible to young people. We will also strengthen education so that neither perpetrators nor victims of sexual violence arise. I ask all relevant Cabinet members, working with Minister Hashimoto, to make all-out efforts to realize policies and measures aimed at eradicating sex-related crimes and sexual violence. I ask the Cabinet members to be united in their efforts, based on this Intensive Policy that we have formulated, to bring about a society in which all women shine.”