A feminist critical discourse analysis of sexual harassment in the Japanese political and media worlds

Abstract

This article examines sexual harassment that has occurred in the interconnected worlds of media and politics in Japan in the context of the global (mostly Western) #MeToo movement. It argues that this harassment by male political leaders constitutes a pattern of sexual harassment and should not be seen simply as individual incidents that exist in isolation from each other. This pattern occurs within a cultural context that discourages speaking out about individual grievances—a particularly noxious cultural norm for women in a patriarchal society. The naming of this pattern of sexual harassment is important to address Violence Against Women in Politics, a problem facing women in politics around the world, including Japan. The public and media outrage directed at individual sexist statements made by male politicians often dissipates after some time has passed, only to emerge again after the next sexist incident makes headlines. By establishing this as a pattern of sexual harassment, I aim to make visible the problem of sexual harassment as a systemic problem facing all women working in politics or in close proximity to politicians in Japan.