Japan PM joins fight for more female toilets in parliament
BBC••world
Key Points:
- Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and around 60 female lawmakers are petitioning for more women's toilets in the parliament building to accommodate the record 73 women elected to the Lower House in 2024.
- Currently, the parliament has only nine female toilets with 22 cubicles compared to 12 men's toilets with 67 stalls, causing long queues and inconvenience for female lawmakers, staff, and visitors.
- The parliament building, constructed in 1936 before women gained voting rights, has not been updated to reflect the increasing number of female representatives, prompting calls for improvements to support women's empowerment.
- Opposition lawmaker Yasuko Komiyama emphasized the need for better facilities as women approach 30% representation in parliament,
