Arts , Humanities & Social Science

Abstract

Issues related to gender equality have been widely and globally discussed in settings such as politics, education, healthcare and the workplace, among others. In Japan, the Japanese government has been working very hard to increase the number of women involved in Japanese politics, with minimal progress to date. The present prime minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga, has intentionally sought to bring attention to this issue. He has, for the first time, selected a female cabinet relations chief for his government. His appointment of a female to this post is unprecedented. Unfortunately, due to a recent ethical code violation by the newly appointed female appointee and role model of female leadership in Japan, he felt constrained to accept her resignation from the post. The present study explores Prime Minister Suga’s treatment of this gender-related issue by examining his personal interviews with the media and press reporters in his cabinet. The study finds that Suga falls short of adopting an emotive and rapport style of speech which in turn, fails to attract listeners’ and voters’ support.