TOKYO, June 21 (Reuters) - Japan plans to "aggressively" push for women's participation in society, especially in politics, top government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said on Wednesday after an annual report showed the country was struggling to narrow the gender gap.
The World Economic Forum report measuring gender parity ranked Japan 125th out of 146 countries this year, compared with 116th in last year's report.
In economic participation and opportunity, a category that examines labour force participation, wage equality and income showed, Japan was 123th, the lowest among East Asian and the Pacific countries.
Its gender parity in political empowerment was one of the lowest-ranked in the world, at 138th, behind China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party this month compiled a plan to raise the percentage of its female lawmakers to 30%.
Persons:
Hirokazu Matsuno, Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Satoshi Sugiyama, Pasit, Mariko Katsumura, Shri Navaratnam, Gerry Doyle
Organizations:
Economic, Japan, East, Investors, Norges Bank Investment Management, Nikkei, Liberal Democratic Party, Thomson
Locations:
TOKYO, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Lower