Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa on Jan. 30 took the high road in responding to the sexist remarks former Prime Minister Taro Aso made about her appearance.

“I am aware that there are many different opinions, and I appreciate any and all feedback,” she said at a news conference held at the ministry. “I myself have been working to fulfill my responsibilities as a politician based on my beliefs since I was first elected in 2000.”

She noted that she became foreign minister last September, the first woman appointed to that post in about 20 years.

“I am committed to conducting diplomacy that is understood and supported by the people,” Kamikawa said. “I will let this be my response to (Aso’s remarks).”

‘KAMIMURA IS A BIG DEAL’

Aso, who is currently vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, made his comments about Kamikawa’s appearance in a speech that was apparently meant to praise her.

In the speech held in Ashiya, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Jan. 28, Aso also mispronounced her name and made factual errors about the foreign minister’s post.

“The current foreign minister is Yoko Kamimura. She is a woman. I don’t think there has ever been a woman to serve as Japan’s foreign minister,” Aso said on the topic of international relations.

The current foreign minister is indeed a woman, but her name is Kamikawa, not Kamimura, and she is the third female, after Makiko Tanaka and Yoriko Kawaguchi, to hold the position.

Aso’s “praise” continued.

“But this Yoko Kamimura is a big deal, you know. Even from our point of view, wow, this ‘obasan’ is good. I wouldn’t say that she’s that beautiful, but at least, she definitely speaks with an air of authority, speaks proper English, of course, and does everything herself, from making appointments to whatnot,” he said.

“Obasan” often refers to a middle-aged woman, but it can be a denigrating term to highlight that a woman is not so young anymore.

Kamikawa is 70 years old. Aso is 83 years old.

Throughout his lengthy political career, Aso has repeatedly made problematic and offensive statements. He was also an unpopular prime minister when the LDP lost power to the Democratic Party of Japan in 2009.

But Aso has continued to hold key positions in the party and LDP-led administrations.

In May 2018, when he was finance minister, he retracted a statement he made regarding the sexual harassment of a former high-ranking Finance Ministry official.

“We cannot deny the possibility that he was set up by (the woman),” he said.

Aso also said, “There is no such thing as the crime of sexual harassment.”

CRITICISM RIFE

Although Kamikawa did not criticize Aso’s comments about her, others unleashed on the LDP vice president.

At a news conference on Jan. 29, Akira Koike, secretary-general of the Japanese Communist Party, said the remarks were low even by Aso’s standards.

“This one is the worst,” Koike said.

“It is ‘lookism,’ and such things should never be uttered,” said Koike, who demanded that Aso retract his statement and apologize to the foreign minister.

Hiroki Mochizuki, a writer, told The Asahi Shimbun that Aso’s remarks match his pattern.

“Even in the context of praising Kamikawa, he unnecessarily and inappropriately dared to mention her appearance when discussing her skills as a foreign minister. It shows a discriminatory attitude toward women,” Mochizuki said.

He also took issue with Aso’s choice of word when he mentioned “from our point of view.” He used the term “oretachi,” or “we men.”

“The composition in which ‘we men’ evaluate a woman is (Aso’s) natural assumption,” Mochizuki said.

The LDP says it is making efforts to promote women in politics, but Aso’s statement reflects the reality of the party that the power to decide who gets promoted is still in the hands of men, Mochizuki said.

Kaku Sechiyama, a professor of gender studies at the University of Tokyo, said: “I understand (Aso) appreciates Kamikawa, but if he were talking about a male foreign minister, he would never mention his appearance. Only women are subjected to an additional evaluation of their attractiveness.”

Sechiyama pointed out a similarity between Aso’s statement and the one that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made when five women, including Kamikawa, were appointed to his Cabinet last September.

Kishida told them, “I hope that you will also fully demonstrate the sensitivity and empathy that are unique to women.”

Sechiyama said: “There is a perception in politics that women are outsiders on the margins, which leads to statements from male politicians, such as ‘from our point of view’ and ‘unique to women.’”

At a news conference after joining the Cabinet in September, Kamikawa noted that women’s participation in the political field in Japan is lagging behind internationally.

“As a female Cabinet member, I would like to utilize my unique perspective as a woman to reform the way organizations and work styles should be,” she said.

(This article was compiled from stories written by Shino Matsuyama, Yuki Nikaido and Nozomi Matsui.)