Rape in Japan

The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus Volume 16 | Issue 21 | Number 1 | Oct 27, 2018
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Civic Lawmaking: The Case of the Domestic Violence Movement in Japan
Kanoko Kamata

Abstract
"The domestic violence (DV) movement in Japan demonstrates one way civil society can influence national policy. The leadership of the DV movement built a large and diverse coalition representing more than 50 DV-related organizations all over Japan, which generated expertise on the ground, autonomy to focus on the issue, and an electoral opportunity for DV law reformers. DV leaders also developed an effective alliance with bipartisan female politicians. By turning their demands into 179 questions addressed to government bureaucrats, they generated responses that enabled women in politics to exercise effective pressure in favor of change . Analyzing this new type of activism, which I call “civic lawmaking,” offers a close look at a fresh form of legislative advocacy and deepens our understanding of the state-society relationship in Japan. ..."

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