The leader of Japan’s Conservative Party has caused an uproar by advocating banning women from marrying after the age of 25 and having their hysterectomies removed at the age of 30.

This proposal was part of the general debate about the country’s aging population and the problems it faces as a result.
falling birth rate.

Conservative Party leader Naoki Hyakuta apologized after his comments sparked immediate and harsh criticism.

Here’s everything we know about the debate.

Well-known author and Conservative Party leader Naoki Hyakuta made a surprising statement in a video posted on YouTube on November 8, while talking about ways to increase the country’s birth rate.

The Minister suggested that women be banned from marrying after the age of 25 and from being forced to have hysterectomies (
uterine removal procedures) 30 years old.

He argued that by doing this the falling birth rate would be reversed and they would be encouraged to have children.

The politician also suggested banning women from attending university after the age of 18, allegedly in order to focus on having more children.

This proposal follows previous divisive policies that encouraged marriage and procreation.
incentives for women to marry men from rural areasIt was also criticized for being too simplistic and tone-deaf.

Hyakuta became known on the far right of Japanese politics in part because of his best-selling book Eternal ZeroIt was adapted into a film glorifying kamikaze pilots in the final days of World War II.

He was appointed to the board of directors of national broadcaster NHK in 2013 by then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe; this was a move criticized at the time for allegedly trying to control the organisation’s editorial independence and policies.

Space

Reactionary statements raised concerns about women’s rights and reproductive freedom. harsh criticism from politicians and others.

It was stated that actor Chizuru Higashi expressed her anger regarding the issue. South China Morning Post“If you haven’t had children by the age of 30, the idea of ​​taking away your ability to reproduce is horrifying, even as a joke. Also, do you think it’s women’s fault that the birth rate is falling? Women can’t get pregnant on their own, and because their employment and income are not stable, they don’t have the confidence to give birth and raise children.”

Sumie Kawakami, a lecturer at Yamanashi Gakuin University and author of a book on gender issues, said: This Week in Asia“I can’t believe a Japanese politician would say such a thing. “I can only see these comments as a call for violence against women.”

Kawakami was concerned that, similar to other parts of the world, particularly the United States when Donald Trump first announced his intention to run for president in 2015, the standard of political dialogue in Japan had also deteriorated. She argued that the danger is much greater here because fewer Japanese women are willing to speak out against misogyny than in the United States.

“A weaker response will only encourage chauvinists,” he added.

Hyakuta’s party also condemned the proposal. In an interview with Fuji Television, Joint Chairman Takashi Kawamura said he asked Hyakuta to retract his remarks.

“I apologize on his behalf to supporters of the Conservative Party and the Japanese people,” he added.

Apology

Hyakuta later apologized during a speech in Nagoya on Sunday, saying his remarks were purely hypothetical and did not reflect his views.

“I will retract them and apologize that there are people who find them offensive,” he said.

He explained that these concepts are not intended to be understood literally, but rather are presented as a “science fiction story” to start the conversation. He added to X that he did not support such extreme actions against women and that his words were “extremely harsh”.

Kaori Arimoto, a senior member of his party who appeared next to him in the program, complained that his words were unacceptable even as a “science fiction” scenario.

Responding to this, Hyakuta said: Kyodo News“I was explaining in plain language the time limit women face when giving birth.”

According to Arimoto, social values ​​were rapidly evolving and many people no longer associated happiness with parenting.

Hyakuta said social structure changes would be necessary to reverse this trend, and suggested that women could theoretically decide to have children earlier if they felt there was a “time limit” on childbirth.

The attempt to dismiss Hyakuta’s comments as “science fiction” did not sit well with author Issui Ogawa, who argued that the language trivialized the harm caused by his own words.

“I’m a science fiction writer and I’m not only unhappy that the bizarre idea of ​​removing a girl’s womb is described as science fiction, but I’m also unhappy about the idea of ​​forcing her to marry and give birth (with penalties attached). he said.

Moreover, Kawakami said: This Week in Asia“He (Hyakuta) said something and now there has been a strong backlash, he has retracted it and apologized, but if there wasn’t a response then he wouldn’t feel the need to apologize and claim that he was just speaking hypothetically. .”

Fertility crisis in Japan

Japan faces a serious fertility crisis as it struggles with an aging population and a shrinking workforce.

According to preliminary official data released in September, the country’s birth rate in the first half of 2024 fell to its lowest level since 1969.

According to preliminary data from the health ministry, the country recorded 350,074 births between January and June; This figure is 5.7 percent lower than the same period of the previous year.

With input from agencies