WAN—Women’s Action Network—is a certified non-profit organization established in May 2009 to realize a truly gender-equal society.

WAN’s main activity is to run the comprehensive information page: https://wan.or.jp. We provide women with a venue to interact with each other. We are also engaged in various activities that support women’s networking and empowerment.

The history of WAN began with Shokado Bookstore, Japan’s first bookstore specialized in women’s matters, which opened in Kyoto in 1982. The store gradually turned into one of the few rare spaces for women to network and obtain information. Shokado then moved into the Gender Equality Center (aka Dawn Center) in Osaka Prefecture. Blessed with a successor, it changed its name to Bookstore Yu. Osaka Prefecture, however, decided to kick the bookstore out of the center. Thus, to avoid losing the women’s bookstore and to preserve Shokado’s legacy, NPO WAN was established in 2009, and the WAN webpage was launched.

However, amidst the rapid transition to a digital age in which countless articles are readily available, it was still challenging to find women’s voices. To meet the demand of the time, we decided to go beyond physical books and provide a new venue for information exchange.

The WAN’s webpage offers a wide variety of the latest knowledge concerning women. Our page aims to build a relaxed yet powerful network that is necessary for a society where women can play an active role. By linking activities between individuals or various private and government sectors nationwide, we provide fun and helpful information to make women’s lives rich and diverse.

Articles on the WAN webpage are written and updated regularly by many WAN members and volunteers.

Interested? Scan the main page and have a read/watch of the article/video that intrigues you. And if you like what we do, join our activities! WAN is constantly recruiting new members and volunteers (men will also be welcome if you agree with our mission), but we will be delighted over any form of participation. Let’s work together and create a network that will brighten and enrich your life!

Contact: w.wan.contact@gmail.com