SNA (Galesburg) — The Japan Communist Party (JCP) has made another step forward toward becoming the major national political party most committed to gender equity, but it is far from clear this approach will allow it to break into the mainstream.

Last month, the 102-year-old party selected Tomoko Tamura to become its top executive. In recent election cycles about half of all JCP candidates have been women, a balance unseen in any of the other national political parties. Making Tamura the face of the party has extended its strategy to try to better appeal to women voters who, after all, make up half of the electorate.

The arguments in favor of this approach are not difficult to grasp. If Japanese women accept the notion that voting for the Communists is a vote to weaken the stranglehold of the patriarchy, this could launch the party to much greater influence.

Also, it’s worth remembering that throughout the Shinzo Abe era, polls regularly revealed a gender gap in the support rate for the rightwing leader. Japanese men backed Abe at a significantly higher rate than women. This might indicate that women are potentially more open to progressive political appeals.

The JCP clearly needs to do something to reestablish its relevance in the 2020s. At its peak in 1990, the JCP boasted about half a million party members. Today that is about half that number. When campaign seasons roll around, its hard not to notice how all the activists are elderly, and not a young face is to be found in many cases.

Additionally, most other opposition parties still refuse to cooperate closely with the JCP, which is a significant factor entrenching the dominance of the conservative ruling party.

However, other than her gender and her solid communication skills, it is not yet clear whether Tamura’s ascension truly represents a new chapter. She has yet to announce any specific policy innovation.

There are currently 21 national lawmakers of the JCP, ten of them in the House of Representatives.

This article was originally published on February 12, 2023, in the “Japan and the World” newsletter. Become a Shingetsu News supporter on Patreon and receive the newsletter by email each Monday morning.