We often hear Japan described as a ‘traditional’ society. That description certainly conjures up images of geisha walking down the streets and other well-worn tropes. That isn’t what you

On many levels, Japan appears to ignore key elements of what westerners consider to comprise social modernity. One classic example is the profound lack of progress women have made

As we moved into 2020, there was much-justified optimism in Japan. In 2019 we had celebrated the enthronement of a new emperor and the promise of a new age

If a single word could sum up Japan’s gender role rigidity, it’d be kanai. It means “one who remains inside the home,” and is how many husbands here refer to

The story involves what’s been dubbed the #KuToo movement—a play on kutsu, the Japanese word for shoes, and kutsuu, the word for pain, politicians with feet firmly placed in