KYOTO - About half of Japan’s district court branches have one or fewer female lawyers in their jurisdictions, a recent survey by Kyodo News showed, an issue that is little changed in a decade and a particular problem in regional areas.
The finding demonstrates that existing concerns about legal support for sexual abuse or domestic violence victims may be inadequate, as women may often find it difficult to consult about or disclose traumatic experiences to male lawyers.
Of the 203 district court branches nationwide, the jurisdictions of at least 102 branches across 38 prefectures had one or fewer female lawyers between April and August, with 58 having none at all and 44 having just one, according to responses from 49 of the country’s 52 bar associations.
The percentage of female lawy…
KYOTO - About half of Japan’s district court branches have one or fewer female lawyers in their jurisdictions, a recent survey by Kyodo News showed, an issue that is little changed in a decade and a particular problem in regional areas.
The finding demonstrates that existing concerns about legal support for sexual abuse or domestic violence victims may be inadequate, as women may often find it difficult to consult about or disclose traumatic experiences to male lawyers.
Of the 203 district court branches nationwide, the jurisdictions of at least 102 branches across 38 prefectures had one or fewer female lawyers between April and August, with 58 having none at all and 44 having just one, according to responses from 49 of the country’s 52 bar associations.
The percentage of female lawyers has seen little improvement over the past decade, as a past survey by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations showed that 59 branch jurisdictions had no female lawyers in January 2015.
The lack of female lawyers was especially pronounced in southwestern, northeastern and northern Japan. For example, of the five branches in Oita Prefecture, three had no female lawyers and two had just one, while in Iwate Prefecture, four of six branches had none and one had a lone female lawyer.
Meanwhile, no jurisdictions under the 50 district court headquarters nationwide, which are located in prefectural capitals and major cities, faced the same problem.
When asked whether they deemed the number of female lawyers insufficient in the regional jurisdictions, 18 bar associations said yes, five said no, and the rest responded that it was hard to say.
Many of the bar associations surveyed said the main reason for the shortage was simply how few female lawyers there are in Japan, as women only account for roughly a fifth of all lawyers in the nation – 9,678 out of 46,969 as of November according to Japan Federation of Bar Associations figures.
Some also pointed out that compared to areas where district court headquarters are located, access to medical institutions and childcare facilities, both crucial to mothers, is often more limited in regional areas, likely making it more difficult for female lawyers to work there.
"Some clients seeking consultations on divorce and domestic violence feel scared of men just by the look of them," said Masako Hayakawa, one of three female lawyers working in the jurisdiction of the Kanoya branch of Kagoshima District Court, demonstrating the importance of female lawyers.