Public attitudes in Japan are arguably going backward, however. A poll conducted by the Japanese government last December shows that 51 percent of respondents think women should be stay-at-home mothers. That figure is up 10 percent since 2009 -- with the increase most notable among people in their 20s. Kathy Matsui, chief Japan equity strategist at Goldman Sachs and longtime proponent of "womenomics," has said that encouraging the participation of women in the workforce should be a national priority. "It should be up there with solving the fiscal deficit. It should be up there with how to improve Japan's national competitiveness.… It's staring you in the face -- it's half the population."While the appointment of Kennedy would send an unfortunate message in terms of the acceptability of dynastic rule of democratic states, having a woman in the top spot in Tokyo's diplomatic corps would be a definite plus. I try to imagine a meeting between the new ambassador and Finance Minister Aso Taro -- and see in my mind's eye his struggling over which of his personae to put on display -- the faux-serious policy man, the swinging dandy, the arch grandee -- and I smile.
Though it sounds trite -- and potentially insulting to the women of the country -- having a Madame U.S. ambassador could indeed have a positive effect on expectations and attitudes. The United States government and Ms. Kennedy would have to be willing to jaw-jaw about their ambassador's book publishing, her astute marshalling of her political influence and her having had to shoulder the huge responsibility of managing the legacies her parents left her.
On a more human note, the appointment of a child of the most glittering of all the White Houses to the position of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary for the world's most powerful nation would mean Crown Princess Masako would finally have someone in Tokyo of sufficient rank and status to talk to as a friend.
14 comments:
*muted* - I think you mean *mooted*
Good point. But maybe Obama should appoint a women who is also highly qualified. There are surely many of them in the US. Hilary Clinton might not want the job, but there are others who might be interested. Another option would be a career female Foreign Service Officer to show that being a professional diplomat is not an obstacle to getting a good diplomatic job.
Well it was (first/only) the Americans who gave women political rights in Japan, including the vote...
Clutching at straws ...
Well, if Kathy Matsui said it, you can't argue, just bow. My wife just today told me about a woman colleague who has decided to quit her job to take care of the unique child starting "shôgakkô" next month. The boy back in Chiba had been taken care of by the grand-parents who fed him on all the junk food you can think about out of kindness so much that he has to shed a few pounds in the coming years for physical and mental fit. Mam's cooking may be better at that.
My wife who just read (yes, everything collides at the same time) a book by a famous local child psychiatrist - and you and I know how these are a rare species here - was impressed by the author's recommendation of closeness to the child together with a laissez-faire and listening attitude. Not what your standard mother is inclined to do here - or elsewhere. The conclusion of my wife about here colleague's decision was "erai to omou". I assume that based on all those authorities and journalists who know better, the adequate reaction should have been instead "what an idiot!".
It is said that late Senator Inouye wanted to have his wife, Irene Hirano, appointed Ambassador to Japan, but the Japanese would have none of it. An odd reaction since they had already given him so much.
So maybe this can still happen as the Mofa boys already control her, and would be totally overwhelmed by Ms. Kennedy. A compromise you might say.
M. Dujarric -
Appointing a career diplomat instead of a prominent political supporter would be read as a tacit confession that the Roos appointment was mistaken.
Ἀντισθένης' -
An apt reminder, especially in the light of the recent death of Beathe Gordon and the high court decisions declaring the most recent House of Representatives election unconstitutional.
Peregrine Lancelot-Smythe -
Of whom do you speak? Me, Coco Masters, the U.S. government?
M. Dersot -
The issues of personal choice and expectations are rarely addressed in reports on women and employment in Japan. I felt it necessary to compliment Ms. Masters for bringing up the largely ignored internal calculations of value.
M. Dersot -
The issues of personal choice and expectations are rarely addressed in reports on women and employment in Japan. I felt it necessary to compliment Ms. Masters for bringing up the largely ignored internal calculations of value.
Armchair Asia -
I have never heard anyone make a similar claim.
In the final decade of Senator Inoue's long and admirable life, his sense of proportion became less sure. But asking for the Japanese government to be the advocate for an ambassadorship for his spouse? That boggles the mind.
Sorry, I meant Coco Masters.
On paper Roos looks good. Has he not been a success? I am not a US citizen but he may have been low key. He also had the DPJ to deal with ...
Or perhaps nowadays most people in Japan don't actually care who the U.S. Ambassador is.
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