National Women’s Education Center of Japan

Ms. Koto Kanno, a visiting research fellow at NWEC, presented a report at an international symposium on Gender Awareness Education for Sustainable Development, held on November 18, 2016, in Seoul. The symposium was hosted by the Korean Institute for Gender Equality Promotion and Education (KIGEPE). The symposium started with an opening address by the president of KIGEPE, as well as greetings by the Korean Minister of Gender Equality and Family, and the representative of the Human Resources Development Service of Korea. They were followed by a keynote address by the EU representative and a report by an ILO gender officer.

Ms. Kanno’s presentation was titled “Gender Equality in Education: Still an unaccomplished goal? Experience in Japan.” In her presentation, she discussed gender equality issues in Japan, especially in higher education, and current Japanese gender equality policies. She then introduced NEWC’s Summer School for High and Junior High School Girls as a concrete example of a gender equality program. More than 120 people attended the symposium and during the question and answer session, a number of questions were asked by attendees about Japanese government policies toward women, indicating strong interest in the subject.