Worldwide WAN

The Worldwide WAN (W-WAN) introduces activities of Women's Action Network (WAN) and feminist movements, etc. inside and outside of Japan. We translate selected articles in the main WAN website from Japanese into English as well as other international languages including Chinese and Korean. We also publish W-WAN's original articles on this page.

DECENT WORK ― The Theme of WAN’s Symposium 2016

2016.03.29 Tue

A symposium organized by the Women’s Action Network, with the theme of “decent work,” will be held in Tokyo on May 21. The phrase “decent work” is advocated by the International Labour Organization as its goal for the 21st century. Panelists consisting of researchers of “decent work” will discuss what it means based on their own experience as workers. (The discussion will take place in the Japanese language.) The following is the purpose st

Labels: Event Information

Online counseling in English: "Should I return to my home country for my sick mother?"

2016.03.21 Mon

QUESTION FROM READER Having been living in Tokyo for 13 years and working here for 10 years, I had been planning for acquiring Japan’s permanent residency in the near future. But then comes the misfortunes. Recently, my 62-year-old mother, living with my 78-year-old father in Hong Kong, was diagnosed with late-stage cancer. My mother was temporarily discharged, and is now active and able to carry on most pre-disease activities. I have special an

Labels: Online Counseling

JWLI Call for Applications

2016.02.08 Mon

The Japanese Women’s Leadership Initiative(JWLI), founded by the Fish Family, invites emerging and ambitious women leaders from Japan for a four-week special leadership program (September 6th, 2016 to October 4th, 2016). The purpose of the program is to empower Japanese women who aim to become efficient leaders and to create positive social change and innovation in Japan. Four Japanese women have been selected each year. Selected fellows will

Labels: Event Information お知らせ Other

Movie Review: Freedom Writers

2015.11.29 Sun

Acquiring Their Own “Words” and “Voices” to Change Their LivesErin Gruwell, a novice high school teacher, comes in charge of a class composed of “at-risk” students. Growing up in slums where violence and murder happen every day, the students segregate themselves into the racial groups and fight against each other in the cycle of hatred, just like adults do outside of the school. They have no hopes in their own lives and no enthusiasm to learn. N

Labels: Cinema (C-WAN)

“Force against terrorism only ends up generating new terrorism” --- OVERSEAs is now acting! Stop the “Galapagos bill” which ignores world trends!

2015.09.20 Sun

On August 28th, 2015, before massive protests around the Diet Building on the 30th, a press conference was held by “OVERSEAs-PEACE for World,” an organization of Japanese living abroad fighting against the security-related legislation, which enables the use of collective self-defense right.The three founders of OVERSEAs – Yukiko Takei, Yuki Nakamizo, and Shin Yamaaki — attended the conference. Inspired by the many protesters and protest groups ac

Labels: Organizations OVERSEAs

California Scholars Rally Against Japan’s Proposed Security-related Bills on Aug. 27, 2015

2015.08.31 Mon

A wave of protest is brewing at home and abroad. According to the Association of Scholars Opposed to the Security-related Bills (ASOSB), a large number of scholars from over 100 universities both in Japan and overseas have released statements against the government-sponsored security bills now under deliberation in the Diet. One call to action was issued on August 27 by Keiko Yamanaka, a scholar at University of California, Berkley, and some othe

Labels: Organizations W-WAN's Original Articles

“We Refuse Abe’s Politics” – Call for Action at 14:00 (German time) on August 15th, Saturday

2015.08.14 Fri

ACTION: “We Refuse Abe’s Politics 0815” “Nein zu ABEs Politik 0815”Date: Saturday 15th AugustTime: 14:00 (German Time)Let's wave placards!Venue: In front of your house, in your house, in your office, etc. Take photos of your action and post them to Facebook.FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/1614472758832999/Placards: Japanese, German (Download from here.)[Declaration]On 15th July, The Japanese Lower House steamrolled security bills which a numb

Labels: Event Information

Speech by Mana Shibata, SEALDs

2015.08.03 Mon

Speech by Mana Shibata SEALDs (Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy)Tokyo, Friday, July 24, 2015Good evening. I am Mana Shibata, a college junior.I am here to read a letter I wrote to Mr. Shinzo Abe.Dear Mr. Abe, I am filled with deep rage and despair toward you.Your forced passage of the security legislation at the Special Committee in the Lower House could be called a coup d’etat. In Okinawa, you have set residents against each other

Labels: Organizations W-WAN's Original Articles

Japanese Youths Crying out for Democracy and Peace: SEALDs

2015.08.01 Sat

Cries of fury are reverberating in front of the National Diet Building in Tokyo, as protesters demonstrate against Prime Minister Abe's security bills that would allow the Japanese self-defense force to fight overseas for the first time since WWII. Leading the protest every Friday evening is a youth group called Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy (SEALDs), whose presence has drawn much attention from the media:"Students protest plann

Labels: Organizations W-WAN's Original Articles

The Legacy of Frida --- Film Review by Natsuko NAKAMURA

2015.06.30 Tue

The legacy of Frida Kahlo was uncovered 50 years after her death.The Japanese photographer, Miyako ISHIUCHI captures the real life of Frida Kahlo as a woman.This film depicts “the record” and “the memories” of the two women and how their lives have crossed.Frida Kahlo is one of the most famous female painters in Mexico. She was highly recognized as a surrealism artist in Europe as well. She lived her life positively despite her physical disabili

Labels: Cinema (C-WAN)

2015.05.29 Fri

A Critical Moment: Sex/Gender Research at the Intersection of Culture, Brain, & BehaviorOctober 23-24, 2015 – Early Registration Ending June 30UCLA, Los Angeles, California WEBSITEhttp://www.thefpr.org/conference2015/Confirmed Keynote Speaker is Dr. Anne Fausto-Sterling, Nancy Duke Lewis Professor Emerita of Biology and Gender Studies, Brown University, and author of the pioneering books, Sex/Gender: Biology in a Social World (2012) and Sexing t

Labels: Lecture

"Anshin (security) pouch" for disaster-preventing produced by women's group "Ami∞Amu"

2015.04.30 Thu

Recommended by Chizuko Ueno"Ami∞Amu", a woman's group at Setagaya-ku that tries to create "local disaster-preventing network" has produced "Anshin (security) pouch."Scissor, portable flashlight, garbage bag, safety pin…14 items in total are included.It is hard to prepare each of those items by yourself!The pouch is designed by a woman's group "nui nui" that embraces women's handmade work. It is lightweight, compact and easy to carry around. For y

Labels: M-WAN

The Widening Gap between Increasing Criticism and Growing Ignorance (2)

2015.04.30 Thu

Absurdity in the Sankei’s Campaign and the Asahi-BashingUrgent Symposium for the Final Solution of the Comfort Women Issue Held in TokyoOn April 23, 2015, the South Korean and Japanese organizations who have been working to resolve the comfort women issue jointly held an “urgent” symposium and press conference at the House of Councillors assembly hall in Tokyo, in order to reiterate a new proposal before Prime Minister ABE Shintaro visited Americ

Labels: W-WAN's Original Articles

What’s New! on WAN as of April 22, 2015

2015.04.22 Wed

Continued Screenings of “What Are You Afraid of?”A documentary film about the Japanese post-war feminism which was directed by MATSUI Hisako and supported by WAN, has been screened in various cities on different occasions since it was introduced at the Aichi International Women's Film Festival (AIWFF) in Nagoya on September 6, 2014.A recent screening was held in Kyoto on April 9, which was followed by a talk between UENO Chizuko and NAKANISHI Toy

Labels: What's New

The Widening Gap between Increasing Criticism and Growing Ignorance (1)

2015.03.31 Tue

Prime Minister Abe’s Unsuccessful Efforts to Whitewash Japanese Wartime AtrocitiesFor the past several weeks, I have had some English articles sent, forwarded, or referred to by my friends or via SNS. All of them were about atrocities the Japanese Imperial Army committed. I would like to review them to express my particular concerns about the widening gap between rising criticism about Japanese government’s attitude toward the comfort women issu

Labels: W-WAN's Original Articles

March 22 National Rally Voiced “No!” to Abe Administration

2015.03.24 Tue

About 14,000 people gathered in Hibiya Park, Tokyo, on Sunday March 22, and marched around the National Diet Building and the prime minister 's official residence. They demonstrated against Shinzo Abe's major policies over rights to collective self-defense, nuclear reactors restart, new U.S. military base in Henoko, Okinawa, and Act on the Protection of Specially Designated Secrecy and so on as was indicated by a variety of boards they held. Th

Labels: W-WAN's Original Articles

Foreword for Chinese Edition of “Woman-Haters: Misogyny in Japan”

2015.02.28 Sat

Chizuko’s Blog No.82February 9th, 2015A Chinese translation (in the simplified Chinese characters) of my book “Woman-Haters” has been published. I have learned the Chinese title is 『厭女症』(Woman-Hater Syndrome). The following is what I wrote as the foreword for this Chinese edition. Also a Korean translation is now under way.“Woman-Haters: Misogyny in Japan”Written by Chizuko Ueno(Kinokuniya Shoten, 6/10/2010)Buy this book (jump to an Amazon page)＊

Labels: Book (B-WAN) Other

A Movie in My Memory All About My Mother directed by Pedro Almodóvar

2015.02.28 Sat

Review by SiriaFascinated by a Woman’s Strong Way of LivingWoman is strong.That was my first impression of this movie. Woman is strong. The heroine, Manuela, is a single mother who lost her son Esteban in a car accident. He died on his birthday of all others.She has grieved his death for days until she makes up her mind.She decides to go to Barce

Labels: Cinema (C-WAN)

Online petition: Please do not approve the re-opening of nuclear power plants!

2015.01.31 Sat

Sign a petition to the Governor of Fukui Prefecture Issei Nishikawa: “Please do not approve the re-opening of nuclear power plants!” “Do Not Re-open Nuclear Power Plants Any Longer!” Fukui Prefectural Residents’ Petition Executive Committee has been working on a signature campaign to send the petitions to the Governor of Fukui Prefecture not to approve the re-opening of nuclear power plants. Please join the petition. Online petition is available

Labels: Event Information Organizations Team Zero Net (for nuclear-free world)

A human chain for "Women's Peace" issued a red card to the Abe administration.

2015.01.30 Fri

Over 7,000 women and men dressed in red gathered and surrounded the Diet forming a human chain to raise their voices for peace and to say "No" against the runaway Abe administration on January 17th, 2015. They consider a wide range of policies pushed under the Abe administration as pro-war, especially the approval of the right to collective defense. Wearing red comes from the Icelandic Redstocking movement. The protest chain

Labels: Event Information Ueno Seminar Other