Japan’s first lady wants to change “male-centered society”

Mrs. Hatoyama and her husband, the Prime Minister

After reading an article in The Wall Street Journal about Japan’s first lady, Miyuki Hatoyama, I was left utterly fascinated. Once a stage actress, she is now a self-proclaimed “life composer” and has writen various cooking and entertaining books.

She acknowledged that for the most part, Japan is a male-run society. Additonally, due to certain societal constraints, she said it is difficult for Japanese women to pursue careers as they try to balance work and raising children. Apparently, “nannys” are not common in Japan. She also spoke of the idea that women are still expected to be the ones to take care of the elderly grandparents, further inhibiting them from keeping a steady career.  Oddly enough, she has also writen about her supernatural experiences, including going to Venus in a UFO.

Perhaps most outstanding, is Mrs. Hatoyama’s unconventional take on fufilling the role as first lady. The author of the article explains that previously, Japanese first ladies were “virtually nameless.” Mrs. Hatoyama has taken it upon herself to ensure that during her husband’s time in office, this will not be the case. With her progressive views and ” unique fashion sense”, it is hard to ignore this first lady. Still, so far, a lot of the attention she has received has been negative. Traditionalist media organizations mock the prime minister for letting his wife “push him around.” She has also received scrutiny for publicizing her supernatural experiences which people obviously, don’t believe.

While the partnership between the Hatoyama’s may be unconventional, it seems to work for them. According to the article, Mr. Hatoyama even helps out around the house. Our class discussions and readings support the article’s assertion that in Japanese society, people tend to keep work and family separate. The Hatoyama’s do not abide by this norm as they are “virtually always together.” At the end of the article, Mrs. Hatoyama touched on the fact that most men think it is embarassing to hold hands with their wife in public. She went on to say that this act “comes naturally” to her husband.

I can’t help but wonder what affect the Hatoyama’s atypical relationship will have on the rest of Japanese society and politics.

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